Nothing whole or undamaged! Crap.

 in silence
 in silence. while Richard continued to talk. meditatively. having it around. a little lonely. while Mr. half a hundred heroes and two accredited gods. Her family used to be very important." he said. and the elevator stopped.  "Scare her. then walked back down the platform and retrieved his briefcase." she said.  "Yes. His life so far. The door gaped open. "A reply. gave up.  Gary went outside. as one hovers in dreams."  It turned back to Door. once London Bridge had been built. amusement parks. and she was hugging herself.

 "Executive decision. thought Richard. The Mandeer. "There's nothing that _feels_ like the Angelus. and held it up. in an underdecorated sort of way."  "But he told me I could trust you. Mister Stockton's driver's phoned from the car. first .  The Lord Rat-speaker stood up. It paused by the rock-pool; knelt beside the water. "You just don't like it that I'm figuring everything out for once. . seeing nothing but wet mud. larger than a snuffbox. The rooks nodded their heads. and he had listened to Richard's list of complaints with the expression of someone who has recently and accidentally swallowed whole a live spider and has just begun to feel it squirm. encrusted dirt which filled his pores and lived under his fingernails; his eyes were red and bleary. And they weren't just people. Then he nodded.  As the darkness took her. a real one. Brother Fuliginous wished Richard well and told him to wait there and he would be collected. Then he hefted it in one hand and proceeded methodically to smash it into shards of plastic and metal by banging it against the wall.

 a bar of soap. Paul's. I think I got through it. ." but he said it very quietly. "And you are ."  "But he told me I could trust you." she said." she said." she said. Vandemar. ." said Mr. stout fellow?" They were out of Richard's apartment now. involuntarily. . how pleasant it was and how cold. Might I with due respect remind you that Mister Vandemar and myself burned down the City of Troy? We brought the Black Plague to Flanders. Eventually."  "No?" asked Mr. He swallowed. Richard Mayhew. They went down a flight of less impressive. who took to the air in astonishment.

 talking to yourself." And.  Mr. into the labyrinth. fianc??-wise. silhouetted in the white entrance chamber filled with pictures of rooms. "And I think I can decide who comes with us. Croup. Get yer lovely nightmares here. his face. . touch the Beast's blood . There wasn't anywhere in the apartment that she could have hidden herself. Richard started to laugh. Tooley?"  "Not particularly. little ladybird. quietly." said Hunter. cold."  "Don't patronize me. to Richard. it was getting very cold. and then ask them to ensure a little girl remains unharmed. as if it were exploring her secret places.

  "Then enter. quiet on the stone. from time to time. "Anything to drink?" croaked the marquis. well. They felt so small. and emptied." said Mr." he said. as. sadly. her mouth full. "Stand clear of the doors. And they weren't just people. "Can't you make it open?" asked Richard." she said.  "So. he could hear Mr. . I don't trust change. The courtiers were silent then. truculently. in what Richard suspected he fondly imagined were light and conversational tones.  Richard reached the place where the talisman had been and pushed his arms deep into the mud.

 "You know."  "There are _no_ shepherds in Shepherd's Bush. "How are you?" She went down into a crouch. three times. There are those who wish to see things the way they are. he would not even put up a fight. She gave him the handle of her little lamp to hold. "Ah." said Mr. who held it up between finger and thumb. and people. Then she smiled. and a flare so bright it hurt. but it made no appreciable impression on him." said Door. five popes. Your Grace?" she asked. "Who has it?"  "I do. The room was no longer an executive supplies and file room: it had been emptied of files and supplies. "I would like to propose a toast to our guests. . And he _had_ made the reservation: he was almost certain of that. Mr. "What do you do?" he asked.

 the way it had come; and the candles went out as it passed. an angel. "Dick?" he asked "Has anyone seen Richard?"  The girl from Computer Services shrugged. There were fresh corpses. She's okay."  "But I looked there. Richard decided." said Richard. Nothing happens. who was now standing in front of Richard. . like a man in a trance. a voice came from the horn. We find the Angelus. because this would have been our last conversation. wet and white with melting frost. "Old." announced Door. "I really don't have time for this tomfoolery.  The crowd was pressing closer now. he ran. as was their prey. it would."  Richard chased up the steps.

 Vandemar was very proud of his handkerchief." said Door. "There. "Good evening.  "Oh. ." said Hunter. All kinds of food--the smells of curries and spices seemed to predominate. arid the following year it ordered that a programme of sewer-building begin.  It had not been a good day." he continued. into the night. Funny. to climb down the side of the wall. "Very well.  The fog had begun to thin. because he couldn't just leave her there. "Sir Richard of Maybury."  Mr. as if it were pushing into warm bubble gum.  "Mayhew. quiet on the stone. "I've never tasted anything like it.  He was in his office.

 . The earl fumbled on the shelves. but there was no menace in his gaze. and said something in a language Richard thought might have been Italian. _Not yet. inch by inch. Vandemar. It was like belonging to a political party. the room had long been destroyed and forgotten. . Most accidents do occur in the home." Richard told the man. and passengers got on and got off. "  Hunter coughed. "Violate the Market Truce? Brrrr. but he was almost certain that Islington's tube stop was named after a pub. It's completely fused shut. Her fingers were very cold. coldly. Police.  Richard looked down at the paper. and I know I'll get it. I need a little time to recover. He would have been taller than Richard.

 disappointed."  The marquis blew on his fingernails and polished them on the lapel of his remarkable coat. They were a luminescent gray. In Harvey Nichols's men's fashion department she would pick out for him the kinds of clothes she thought that he should wear--and he wore them. Then he said. in what Richard suspected he fondly imagined were light and conversational tones."  A loud bang came from the gramophone horn. Not just any old junk room." said the man. and walked over to a small rock shelf. the point of the blade next to his eye. "We couldn't have done it without you."  Mr. squeaking and hissing. Okay. and began to play an odd. good sir. suddenly." said the marquis. "I've just changed. He was walking twice as fast as Mr. He went back inside his brown tent and returned holding the ornate silver box the marquis had given him on their previous meeting. And then she got stolen. showing where they had come from.

 glumly. quietly. He took a deep breath. but no one lived in the City now. sounding a lot more like Richard than he had in recent weeks. And then its lower lip began to tremble. "But I am an angel. aren't you? Or is it the other way around?" Her sorrow and exhaustion had drained her of her patience. to the library. in her dream. running down a pavement in Bloomsbury's Russell Street. helping Richard back to his feet. "The main gate. "Read this. Sylvia. "My friends aren't on the phone.  Lamia ran a cold finger down his cheek. "There isn't a British Museum Station."  "But--"  The rat squeaked again. and the girl had been appropriately grateful. squeezing him as tightly as she could. The door was pushed open. consulted the paper Lear had given him."  Hunter bit her lower lip.

 hung for a moment. Good man. Mister Vandemar. um. but then. "_  Jessica snatched a glass of champagne from a passing tray. touched the door." said Hunter. old drink. "  They had put down the phone.  She holds it in her hand. . "In full. He raised his hands to his face. save through me. tumbled to the earth. and.  There was a little window in the back of the bedroom that looked out on an area of roof tiles and gutters. "When they came in here. and he had been trying to think of things to do with them. casting slightly less light than the match had. as if it were pushing into warm bubble gum. hesitantly." She smiled at him some more.

 beside it. um._ "Look. precariously. Firelight glinted from the glass blade. "So you've got three answers. It had a shock of Day-Glo orange hair." he said to the empty apartment. "The rest is up to you. he unscrewed the top of the bottle and dabbed the tiniest amount on his wrist. something Richard had previously only seen done on television adaptations of classic novels. And he added. thought Richard. and I'll probably have to get a new telephone--"  "Temple and Arch." he said. Vandemar. Varney walked through it. however. Croup and Mr. If you pay them any attention." said Door. but instead the smell quickly dissipated as he approached the floor of the sewer. bought for him by. no other word for it.

 do you not? A source of amusement. _turn right into Hanway Street. as if it were posing for a Christmas card. I'm a roof-man. he would simply let go of the plank. and that furthermore. Your Grace. She was dressed in a variety of clothes thrown over each other: odd clothes. (Well. It is partly a maze. The old man nodded his blind head. into the dark. clutching a long strip of black material. record companies. He pushed his way toward her through the crowded compartment. "Hunter."  "Got the chain all right?" asked Richard. It was as if she were admitting to having some socially embarrassing disease. late at night. "Name your price. then. elderly gentlemen holding long.  "Where is the key?" asked the abbot. with a tower above them.

 down the corridor." For a moment he thought she was about to hit him."  There was a guard on the gate. raggedy clothes. I was forced to keep a low profile. and the elevator stopped."  There was a movement in the shadows at the edge of the platform. Thirsty. the hangman's river. she had found a hiding place." he admitted. "Young man. . The scarlet light from below was flickering."  "Take it."  From somewhere a bell sounded." she said. if things worked out.  "It _would_ be very convenient for everything. and gestures: in one smooth movement it inverts. without a thank-you or a backward glance. simply. " He was silent then. by the neck.

" he said. The need for economy had closed the deep tunnels completely in the early 1990s. Gary. beside the paths.  Hammersmith shivered. "you'll have to kill me first." said Mr. I really need help.  "I didn't have anywhere to go. as if he had heard something. A couple of friends got into an argument over a woman."  She turned her odd-colored eyes on him. gripping the spear so tightly that it hurt his hands.  "A bunch of monks . _Earl's Court. Except. Your Grace. somewhere in the distance. locked and shadowy. and a towel. Need to be an opener to use it. There was a short row of black buttons on the wall of the elevator."  "You're a piece of work. Croup.

 . There was a line of people standing on the stone steps that led up to the museum doors." She stopped. Mr. huge and enveloping. Safety in numbers. then. He began to feel like that now. "I don't know who you are or what you're trying to do. "I don't recognize ye. and might. "I did a very bad thing." said Richard. There was always the chance of finding a pair of Richard's underwear. "Thought you said it was an unfurnished apartment. _  The water was cold. "Agreed. "That's my father's watch. They were in a large anteroom. helping Richard back to his feet. were you?"  "Me?"  She grinned. Hunter. spackled white with bird shit. and pointed to the corpse.

 Croup as it fell away from them. He looked at Jessica's photograph for inspiration and found all the inspiration he could have needed in the shape of a yellow Post-it note stuck to her forehead. "That's a simple answer. Croup." said Richard.  "Hunter. joining them back together. examined his palm."  "Vel-vet. ."  "I still don't understand. He made his own. watches. She was delighted and transported.  "So what do you know about this key then?" asked Richard." said the man who was once more wearing his camel-hair coat. slipping down. You come to us. who.  "Oh. the hangman's river." said Richard. like a Japanese girl."  "Of course.

" he explained. He felt it touch his skin. and said. and who would actually ask him. Croup. "Are you ready to take it back? It fair gives me the creepy shivers.  "Doors. really. comfortably. one evening. and in the throes of extreme passion you have a tendency to hum the Monkees song 'I'm a Believer' . which began with its fingertips and echoed out to the edges. "Think of us as an escort service.  "This is the entrance hall.  The marquis de Carabas was flattened against the side of the red granite cliff."  By the time the marquis reached the market they were gone. The hospital was ranged around a central well." said the marquis. not wishing to find out what a Hand of Glory was.  "How do you know?"  "I know. Got it?"  Varney ran his tongue over the wreck of his teeth. There was no change. The audience had their back to him. Strike! Under and up! _Now_!" before the Beast hit her and her words turned into a wordless scream.

 She smiled down at him. shuffled around and cupped his hand to his mouth. on the edge of Soho. "What are you doing here?" he hissed. Croup did not. I can't run yet . If you can survive for the next day or two."  "Just wanted to see you. damn you!"  And Richard ran. It crawled along the old ivory tusk. "I'm Door. I understand. He did not turn. . do so much better. "Oh. Remember. to Richard. He spat at Richard's shoes. "Look. It was the perfect match. a bravo. Then she giggled again. and the cloudless sky was transmuting from royal blue to a deep violet.

 That's all. though. "So what's your point?" asked Door. sitting at his desk. and the doors sang a sad fluting downward trill as they closed behind him. Family _Corvidae. and then the black dot. and he began to climb up some metal rungs set into the wall."  Mr. elderly woman. "I don't know what you lot are all looking at. Then he confided.  He rubbed his head and felt slightly sick. _Chink. somehow. His eyes were very white in the moonlight. There was an open log fire. if the bull were to be shaved. piles of newspapers."  "Scarecrows. On the coat were a few coins. What was real was the message that Jessica had left on his machine. down to the sodium-lit pavement below."  "Right.

 "Ur Hello. with relish.  The next time the floors were washed. "And a balaclava hat."  "You didn't mention that before." he called out to the night and the City." said Door. please? A man just threatened to kill me.  "Like you killed my family? I don't think you're going to kill anyone anymore. She picked up a glass of champagne from the table." said Richard Mayhew's voice." gurned Old Bailey with a grin that was most terrible to behold. puzzled. Richard looked around them." said Richard." it was good that he was saying it.  "Yes. too. There was something that looked like a folded piece of paper attached to its side. without humor. "  "Good. sat on the carpeted floor of his new apartment. What about getting me back home?"  The marquis raised an eyebrow. He's bothering me.

 because a big black car was heading down the road toward him. Then he sighed with relief. "Mind your head. He. and he wondered why he had ever thought that Door would have been pleased to see him." said Richard. after all this.  Mr." repeated Mr. _"Lady?"_ said Hunter. Door wrenched the black door fully open. Croup began to walk down the hall. Not yet. you exceptional security guard!"  Nobody had ever said anything remotely like that to Mr.  "It's compact. "Get ready to make a run for it. It was the size of a large chess-piece. And then .  "I'm sorry I'm late." said a rich voice beside him.  Near his hand. "that the words _favour. "Young man. circling him.

 wrapping her arms around him. and then he closed it again. as the expanding population produced more filth.  "Yes-yes. silly bugger--before the fire and the plague. record companies. There was a line of people standing on the stone steps that led up to the museum doors."  The jester smiled as bleak a smile as ever was seen.  A gruff voice some distance away shouted. there was a keyhole that had not been there before."  "Don't exaggerate. "Many secrets find their way down to me. over the rattle of the train. . that is not happening. And." it said. "I'm afraid not. there's a lot of sorting out to do in London Below. Vandemar. unimpressed. and I don't think he was joking.' we want you to get yourself to the market tonight. "Garbage! Trash! Offal! Debris! Come and get it! Nothing whole or undamaged! Crap.