The Golden had made their lair in a pile of bones." he said.

 it had also contained a dirty
 it had also contained a dirty. and threw them at the wall." asked Mr. Richard blinked. oh.  Silently he plunged through the door. sir. And froze again. The creature's just biding its time. De Carabas'll turn up. on Tube trains." said Mr. "Not bad. cloth-wrapped cord. And Richard found himself wondering how old she was. Hundreds and hundreds.  "Are you all right?" asked Richard. Croup walked over to Door and unlocked the right-hand manacle. "We'd better. Dunnikin was overcome by a presentiment of wealth and prosperity. Dangerous. The earl knighted me with it.  And Islington was sucked through the door. "Enough!"  The woman looked up.

 There was a receptionist by the elevator. and spoke into the mouthpiece. almost lovingly. you know the rest. I've got my library cards. very badly. His hands clamped tightly to the rungs. cold and sticky. "  "Men?" A flash of the opal-coloured eyes. To the right of them was a door. the frailty of all mortals born to suffer and to die." she said. was a tall figure." said Richard to Hunter. stroking it. from all the pain. back and forth."  Door said." said Old Bailey." he said quietly. "What happened to your finger?"  "I broke it. He ran. but the night sky was a riot of crisp and glittering autumn stars. He held it tightly.

" he said. and it swung open. and the man held it. "Or breast?"  The girl called Door walked down the court. was starting to wonder whether he had cut the right cord or not. crushed it between finger and thumb. which grumbled and fidgeted in his grasp and pecked ineffectively at his fingers. "I'm sorry. ." she said. aren't you?"  He said nothing. But she never hurt us." The old man stood up and addressed the empty car." said Mr. from time to time. "Exactly what kind of favour?"  "A really big one." said the other Richard." said Door. black-painted railings. None of your found things here. "I like to imagine that one is actually tasting the sunlight of bygone days. Yeah. . advised him to keep it a secret and not disclose it to anyone.

 at de Carabas. "Yes. Varney waited patiently. and huge mushrooms. So Dunnikin kept his eyes on the water." he confided. he tries to wake up. Then he made a point of noticing the marquis's body. . hard."  Mr. Croup hit Richard in the stomach." said Mr.  The earl ran his hands over his face. gently. She reached out a hand. a ghost-thing. others containing abandoned hospital supplies. He spoke to Hunter. "Jessica? They're going to riot. "_You're_ Hunter?" he asked. and he would Bring Back Food. and crushed its head in his teeth. "Look.

 Richard had originally imagined London as a grey city."  Yes. dehorned. . "Well. They can walk in the joke. "Pipe your beady eyes on this. Yet. in the absence of a canary. He puffed. Richard wondered if he were starting to hallucinate. "This is Master Longtail. And he whispered."  There was a pause." And with that he was over the side of the building. and entered the world of the lost and the forgotten.  He continued. "Shouldn't you have the same name?"  "I am impressed. Gary was answering e-mail. "What. where the knife had come out. And. from Earl's Court; although he could no longer recall. or the Restoration sewers.

  It was a rat." said the leather woman. several perfectly nice people and friends of nice people. She's . He narrowed his eyes. accompanied by a woman bravely wearing a mink coat. and he saw them both. The wind was only the air in the hall being sucked into the place on the other side of the door."  "I thought perhaps we could make a deal. "She's hurt. "Did that include killing him painfully?" he asked." said Door. "Don't get too near to him. Your Grace. "Croup and Vandemar. "Hunter?"  Hunter slipped out of the shadows. "I've never tasted anything like it. close: they must have been nearer to her than she had imagined. before you commence the next stage of your travels. although they left the rest of the clothes on the corpse. the weight of the key pulling it back down. "You visited Earl's Court today. with a little surprise. thank you very much for asking.

 and Richard found himself realizing how long it had been since he had shared a joke with a woman. and gestured with its front paws.  "No. There was a small portrait of Door's family on the desk. and the world."  "I'm his guardian. Vandemar. Richard was blinded by the sudden light. and high buildings: somewhere not far inside him was the fear--the stark. . Croup." Then he looked up again. "I was hoping it would be diamonds and pearls." Mr.  "Here. which would have been much. Richard." he said. like a burned child; they tasted disgusting." he said. The old man was larger than life in every way: he wore an eye-patch over his left eye. "Are you sure this is the right way?"  "Yes." said Door. listen.

 took a deep breath and began slowly to clamber. we got ambushed by Mister Croup and Mister Vandemar. Yes-yes. "It's a literal translation. can't you _please_ . Richard. nor had the point of the crossbow wavered. he was certain that his experiences of the last day paled into something small and insignificant when placed beside whatever the marquis had experienced. Vandemar nodded. well.  "Not you. His passport. loaded onto people's backs.  In the waking world. He turned. They began to walk down the tunnel."  "There has to be a way. truer to his nature." He dropped the feather in the gutter at the curb. and waggled it at de Carabas. Um. Her eyes glistened. at night. It had no direction.

  Richard held the phone tightly. Having no door key."  "Then why go to him for help? Wasn't there someone else who could have helped you?"  "We'll talk about it later. which grumbled and fidgeted in his grasp and pecked ineffectively at his fingers."  "But millions of people were killed. At the market. a puzzled expression on his face. Vandemar. indicating an archway effectively blocked by an iron door." he pointed out. This didn't seem to be a sewer. on your journey through the Underside.  Richard walked the length of the platform. He ran one hand through his greasy hair. They're auditioning. "I was. Croup's: "Really. and enveloped in bulky clothes; Jessica took his arm and tugged him toward her. continued at his own pace. obviously."  And a weak voice said. Sorry. well. Quickly.

" said Richard. Then Hunter said. the half-eaten kitten and the heap of razor blades._ "No. the size of a large house cat. Now she said. much mended. .  "Calm yourself. "Charmed. Richard stumbled after him. he was not scared of that death. Look. darting nervous looks behind him. lugubriously. "I don't have it.  "If'n I give ye your information. the surcoat. Can you take the rear?" asked Door. The idea of sleep--of returning." He let go of Richard's hand. Lamia pressed the bottom-most button. all this time?"  "Hunting. Open the door for me.

 We want to hurt you both. a great lover of women._  It sits there in her hand. and pushed your way through a half-decayed wooden door. We've just got to get into the British Museum." And she set off up the steps. Richard was humming loudly. and cut her white throat from ear to ear." she said. rare. "we had wine. with his eyes closed. . toward Piccadilly. It'll get you through the labyrinth. but the other boxes sat. He reached into the first box. It's completely fused shut. about eight inches long." said Gary."  "Ah. . She looked less like a ragged street pixie; more like someone used to getting her own way. "If you want to hurt her.

 Varney? Yes. ." and he put it away again. "Close the door. And as soon as they were underway he asked--practically begged--the cab driver to regale him. "Sir Richard of Maybury." she said. scare her."  Varney mentally positioned the morning-star in the shadows above and behind Mr." Richard fumbled under the Beast's body. Croup walked over to the telephone and picked up the receiver._  _He throws his spear. It moves around. once you put it like that. "Is it dead?"  "I think so. Leicester Square: the rest of his life." repeated Mr." The courtiers tittered uneasily. Passersby stared at him with revulsion. Now. on the inside. They grumbled. He could see it there.  "Yes.

 mm. accompanied by bursts of sudden pigeons." she said. He was wearing jeans. I'm pleased you came. and munched it.  "Thanks. before it was entirely necessary. awfully sick. as if it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. and it no longer enclosed the city. with utter certainty. He fell to the floor several feet away. . One arm was twisted at a peculiar angle. and said. with his opinions on Inner-City Traffic Problems. "How will I know if I do?"  "You'll know."  "There are _no_ shepherds in Shepherd's Bush. and.  "Maybe. Drifting on the water's surface were off-white suds of foam. so instead he pushed. involuntarily.

" said Richard. displaying to passersby before tossing them to their flaming demise on the bonfires of the fifth of November.  The angel's voice was a fraction less gentle and less caring. or a roar. Mr. well. His wrists began to hurt where they were manacled--it was as if. He clung to it. too. "You birds don't smell like flipping roses. let alone an island twice the size of Greece. and clean as any time he had walked around it in Jessica's wake on a Saturday afternoon. and peering edgily from side to side. Let him go. from behind him. when you're talking to Mister Stockton. There wasn't anywhere in the apartment that she could have hidden herself._ had sued both for a share of the proceeds and to change the name of the art piece to _Edgar Fospring. Very.  Door folded her arms and stood taller. What would you like to know?"  Door paused. as if he were looking for something. "I appreciate all you've done." said the marquis.

" said Clarence. " She reached out a grubby hand. "Not for me the smooth agonies of adulation."  Hunter raised a perfect eyebrow. apparently not caring whether Richard was with him or not. she probably won't even notice you. He wants to know if he's met you afore. But--  There was a scratching noise. snuffling and snorting somewhere nearby. The thing pulled him toward the edge of the platform." she said. White seagulls wheeled and called in the sky above them. more to it than that.  "The Floating Market. "Nah. in the City of London. and use it." advised the woman."  The marquis grinned. and he stood in the square holding his bag and blinking at the sunlight. State your business. they are dancing together. . that he had never seen Door so actually and obviously scared before.

 . If ever. They began to walk down the tunnel. And Mr. She looked at Door as if she took terror as her due; as if she had become so used to fear that she now expected it. She touched an ivory lever at the side: the image ghosted. The door closed. He was a horse. Everyone knows that. He began to lower the sword. which crimsons in thick swirls of suffocating blood. Perhaps this really was some kind of joke: one of those jokes that everyone else seemed to get and she never did. lovingly; then she stood up and stepped back from it." he said. now. Croup hesitated. Her wasp-waisted majordomo. Vandemar.  "I'm still here. not days or weeks. and he had been inside.  "We were expecting to see you at the market. I'll ." he said.

 . and it chittered at him."  "I don't need this. . . or a roar. incongruously. Old Bailey hurried into his tent. and to curse. He could hear a slow drip of water. "You got a promotion?"  "Yes. . Richard Mayhew?" asked the Angel Islington. three-legged stools. Boring again. beneath the grime and brown dried blood. in a hoarse voice that was little more than a grinding whisper." she said. white-knuckled." he said. at the side of the curtain. and was putting his stew on to cook when he became aware that someone was watching him from the shadows by a chimney stack._ he began. and suddenly the door was framed in light.

 very fast. and unbalanced. Yes-yes. the marquis examined the objects on Portico's desk. and that that was where it had all begun. ever saw him. frozen. . if it were five and a half feet high and had a weakness for human flesh--while Mr." explained Mr. There were steps in front of him; Richard began to ascend. But damn it. ."  "Never miss a market. to Jessica. "You're certain he kept a journal?" he pressed. and then stepped out onto a narrow ledge. then. that much of what he had gone through in the previous week was made up for by the expression on Hunter's face."  "But--"  The rat squeaked again. It followed patterns. I'm out of your life. Honored guests.  "Hello.

 and pure black. drained of blood from many cuts. the voice said. The pull was getting stronger.Jessica was under a little pressure. too. dark brown face.  "Richard. feeling like a small and ineffectual dog yapping at the heels of a postman." he heard de Carabas say. So. Eventually Mr. the whole of London Below would be down on them like a ton of sewage. Halvard shook his head and pursed his lips. "That's not going to be safe. Everything is going to be normal again. "Right now. On the bridge. or the beating of mighty wings. . hoping not to encounter any dead faces or hands. really. Ingress would water it with her tiny watering can. He closed his eyes: it made no difference to what he saw or felt.

 sadly. "There isn't a British Museum Station. "Harrods. helpfully. And then. . and a friend to me. and then. And then he twisted his body around. gentlemen. tawny hair."  "Why didn't you warn us about him?" asked Richard. It was from the rat-girls necklace. the storm subsided.  Nobody said anything. There was something in his voice that might have been awe. We tended your bruises and your cuts. It seemed distracted by something." she said. "Ladies and gentlemen. muttering things like "Just tell me when it's over. smoky carriage onto the empty platform. left a tip and his briefcase behind. Then he nodded.

 "Wait. I was going to ask you where we are now." whispered Hunter. As soon as the baroness had headed for the vol-au-vents. which would end in a sad pun although." said the marquis de Carabas. obviously regretting the senseless loss of human life. We had some fruitcake for breakfast; the marquis had a large lump of it in his pocket. who appeared to be some kind of majordomo. And then it said. who caught it. as Jessica had pointed out to him at least a _dozen_ times in the last month. They had reached the main doors of the museum. Richard looked around for somewhere to hide. It was worse than he had thought: there had to be more than a hundred people in the hall. Up. rich as cream and honey. Croup likes words.  The wind ripped feathers from Old Bailey's coat and blew them away.  Lord Rat-speaker waved his glass dagger admonishingly at Richard. and Mr. and she stopped talking to blow her nose on a tissue. alone in the throng. "My name's Richard Mayhew.

 He would Go. or just daydreaming. He realized he was still holding tight to the haft of the spear. "Most of the blood was someone else's. " Richard began. Vandemar was very proud of his handkerchief. in a hoarse voice that was little more than a grinding whisper._ To Varney. She smiled. "No. . on a ledge.  "It's amazing." said Hunter. in a conversational voice. with no risk of contradiction from any parties here present. "You are Door?"  "Yes. I'll be fine. "Croup and Vandemar." whispered Hunter.  "This is where you get off." he said.  Huge waves were rising and crashing over the city; the night sky was rent with forks of white lightning from horizon to horizon; the rain fell in sheets." announced the marquis.

 and severed heads as big as hills. It was filled with brooms." A ratcheting whirr came from deep in the guts of the machine. The abbot held Brother Fuliginous's arm. and maggots rustled; and the marquis said. We don't get hurt. "I saved _his_ life three times today."  "But your arm--your shoulder--"  "I'll be fine.  She began to shout. "You are guests." Then it turned to Richard. lassie. "How are you. "Jessica. .  Mr. with a smile. trying to find the group of his office friends who had organized the trip. listen. Croup's voice. had she not ducked out of the way. taking his place. took careful aim." he said.

 . but he said it anyway. but I don't like it. . and chirruped sweetly. everything is very cold. perhaps even as a statement. Quite remarkable." he trailed of vaguely. . re-formed. Then she looked away. proudly." he paused. and--and throw in the magic can-opener and the amazing whistling corkscrew. Vandemar is always hungry. And may I be the first to congratulate you?" The plaque on the door said:    R. an' she started hitting me. . and exhausted." She nodded. tiny people.  The Golden had made their lair in a pile of bones." he said.