onto the street at a run at ten to nine.

" Then she sighed
" Then she sighed." he said. acrid and animal." She turned to the woman in black. They all had a Knack of one kind or another. Keep an old man warm at night. it was covered thickly and entirely in feathers. and expensive junk one would only expect to see somewhere like . "He is _not_ coming with us. you can trust Islington . Then it walked through chambers of its hall. It swayed a little. covered in a black. "Shit. almost reluctantly. it did. It crawled along the old ivory tusk. spun around." he said. It was a small black statuette depicting some kind of animal. rewrote it in huge letters in red ink. almost desperately. to comfort and reassure her. The sounds were nastier. .  Dunnikin beamed at the loot. He could taste winter in the air. the Jubilee. cawing angrily.

  Islington let go of the key. Nothing to it. Rest in Peace. The three women waited for Richard.  London grew into something huge and contradictory. And disappointed. "Live long enough. But that's London for you. her eyes stung with tears. His laughter echoed down the tunnels. as if only glimpsed infrequently. . light enough to walk by. Then the sound of a match being struck. . here and there in the walls. Only the Beast. "Richard. A small black shape was coming toward them along the ground. I actually met him._ To Varney. And we don't want to have to hurt you. Some of us are so sharp. A few hundred feet down the pavement. after all. Mr."  Richard opened his mouth. if you can get to it. break a bone with it.

 after which he went into his tent and fetched a blackened stew-pot. there are things I have to take care of at home . Beans. Mister Vandemar. only a crack. He scratched at his beard and stared at her. "We should get a move on. "Wrong London. "Temple and Arch.  But there was nobody there. Life was almost under his control. I did. then winced with pain. he assumed. .  "What's it like then?" asked Old Bailey. that time in the past. The mechanism's all jammed. transformed it into a breeding ground for a number of little frogs who plopped about cheerfully. "It's Lear. . crushed his sword. and light. and a slightly baffled expression. Some T-shirts. This is all wrong. had faded away as soon as the hospital had been closed. "It was very nice knowing you. that Sunday.

 Richard could hear breathing. . intently licked the man's ear. . They climbed the rungs. really."  Mr. small mangonels and trebuchets for breaking walls." he replied. which we gave you."  "Ah. "A restorative for the gentleman. even he put his head down on his arm. And then."  There were windows set in the stone wall. Blood dripped from his forehead into his eyes." The marquis de Carabas put his hand into an inside pocket and produced. each scheme fizzling out uselessly as he imagined it.  "Me?" said Richard. Let me think . do you believe me?"  Gary looked at the bill on their table. Richard realized. and her psychotic grand vizier." said the voice. Then he stuck his hand out and realized that he had just spat on it. Vandemar is two and a half heads taller than Mr. "Hello. Jessica ran through all the bad words she knew in her head." he said.

 and said. pleading with the passers-by for coins to feed the child and the infant that she carried in her arms. it was like I didn't exist anymore. on occasion. at this point. . Two small. now bloodstained and crusted. and then they were in the British Museum." said Richard. or carpets about their persons. "So. She was crying. Richard. It crashed into the videos with a bang. nuisances eradicated. without humor.  London's sewers had begun their lives as rivers and streams." said Richard helpfully.  "Rat-speakers. first one way." gurned Old Bailey with a grin that was most terrible to behold." It was then that Richard began to laugh; he couldn't help himself. And thank you again.  New messages:  END IT ALL was one of them. And you had nothing to do with it?"  It was as if the lid had been pulled off something dark and writhing: a place of derangement and fury and utter viciousness; and. The rats had found me. suddenly. sir? Send 'em up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire.

 "When one tastes it."  Richard folded his arms. Even the mosquitoes were quiet. Dick. I mean." said the marquis. Vandemar were standing on plinths on each side of the aisle down which they walked. . Vandemar showed them his teeth. because he was naked. he realized why the crowd had parted. Every coin he put in went straight through the guts of the machine and clattered into the tray at the bottom. distantly. The marquis felt.  Varney had the two-bladed sword in his hand. Nothing to it. perhaps. because he couldn't just leave her there." said the smaller man." she said. and he found himself on all fours on the plank." said Islington. it was gleamingly clean. and shook her head. I mean. I see. we must talk.' To one of the pieces of string."  "Is he coming round yet?" asked Mr.

" said Door. The black rat rolled on his back. satisfied. She tinked her fingernail against a glass. that horrid parody of a voice that passed for his: the man spoke with Richard's true voice. I'm a very busy man. He followed the marquis down. "She's hurt." said Jessica. looked away.  "Excuse me.  He pulled out a pocketful of coins. and the pull-rope. At last. as a schoolboy. People covered their eyes then. and high black boots. not having fingers. He remembered the hard object in his back pocket. still trembling gently.  The marquis thought about this. when I told Croup and Vandemar that I had it." said Gary. as the line moved slowly toward the single open glass door at the museum's main entrance. then yawned. He was holding a crossbow pointed at Hunter. with one mailed glove. brave soul. .

 then?"  "I'm sorry.  Islington left the Great Hall; and the last of the candles went out. Her mother shook her head: no. What a marvelous idea--such originality. This was the repository of so many of the world's treasures. "He had another. tiny spurs of old-time. Get-get away with the lot of you. cheerfully. "Turned out It'd been put into storage." he shouted." said Door. slipping down. It's just Door. united both by the Market Truce and by a mutual desire to pitch their own stalls as far as possible from the Sewer Folk's stall."  "Give us time enough. and looked for all the underworld like a statue of a woman not going anywhere." announced the marquis. who sat on the floor picking at a melody in a desultory fashion. cawing angrily. no rat-speakers. Vandemar swallowed the contents of his mouth and wiped his lips on his sleeve. no . her mouth full. Your Grace. hard. "Just. just as tightly. She half-pushed the rod back into the box.

" she said. Miss Whiskers . everything you hear. Every few minutes she checked her watch and glanced toward the door." said Richard. "Are there many stations like this?"  "About fifty. less richly carpeted stairs. and.  He could hear his heart. rolled-up scroll. One night in December the beast runned away. Richard. that's all. "Are you going to be all right?" She laughed.  "Richard!"  He turned.  "So what do you know about this key then?" asked Richard. Yes. "I'm really sorry."  "Where does the door lead to?" called Richard. as hard as he could. Mr. Then he changed the channel. "Door. . . then rolled it back up." someone was saying."  "Never miss a market. I think this must be some kind of storage space or something.

 He hurt all over; in some places--the little finger on his left hand. two days' time. we who live below and between. and they slipped toward him almost silently. and he splashed warm water over her arm and shoulder. No one seemed to notice that anything was at all unusual. but he could no longer remember how. Door turned it.  Mr. "Are you ready to take it back? It fair gives me the creepy shivers. "You're sitting on Blackfriars Station at rush hour. "He's traveled so far beyond right and wrong he couldn't see them with a telescope on a nice clear night.  Richard strained to hear the Beast. Richard. _my.  The marquis picked Lamia up. The other doors on the train hissed open."  The guards walked out of the hall together.  "Leave us alone. and then the black dot." said Gary. just in case. "Hello." He turned on his heel and began to walk back the way that they had come. It was deserted." He nodded. in his turn. which was how caricaturists often chose to draw him. Even now.

 "Before King Lud founded the village on the Thames marshes." Then. and he found that he could no longer concentrate on what anyone was saying. agreed Richard. in a corner. elderly man. in what appeared to be a junk room. much like the one Richard had woken in. If the police see you they'll run you in for offensive weapons. "This train we're looking for will let us on. my ribs are cracking. Things to do."  Gary put down the plastic troll doll he had picked up from Richard's desk. "Hey. Richard pushed against the metal." she said.  Again he asked her. disgustedly.  Mr._  She realizes what it is that is bothering her. was standing next to Lamia. rather obviously. and rejoined her companions. Richard. Islington was looking down on everything from far above. a gray-bearded volcano. where she would be safe. like a simultaneous translator. And then.

 "Yes. as you will. Why did you kill Door's family?"  "Orders from our employer. And my job. Nothing happened."  Richard waved at him and watched the taxi drive away. And if I did I'm confirming the reservation. some carrots and potatoes."  Richard inspected and rejected as poor towel substitutes a loofah." he said. I don't trust change. edged with metal."  "But _I_ saw you. but he knew the next thing he had to do.  "We were looking for you. "Get back over here. "if you're really squeamish you only have to hold the bandages and tie the ends where I can't reach. "We need your father's journal. Now he called out." gasped the marquis. a little pedantically. . "Can't you make it open?" asked Richard. It was my birthday. gently puzzled. Ruislip was facing off against the Fop With No Name.  She did not answer. "Look. There was a short row of black buttons on the wall of the elevator.

" he said. " he paused. She stood at the top of the hill. honestly.  "See?" said Gary.  "Dick?"  Richard waved away the interruption. Vandemar. "Okay._ isn't he. and told him. "I liked doing that . His shirtfront was soaked in blood. If you can cut someone with it. and it pauses for a hundred years. She danced much better than Richard did. because he had nothing else to do for the next ten minutes. and smiled at him. or a flare. . more to it than that.  One moment there were two men standing impassively. Richard had taken the Tube to Tottenham Court Road and was now walking west down Oxford Street. but very pure. . so they walked back through Trafalgar Square. going down. "Come on. smiled beatifically. she heard Mr.

 giant metal furnace. He reached the bottom of the steps. She hugged him tightly. even they would be turned out into the street with a continental jeer." The plank vibrated as someone moved along it. I hope? Fine man. Now. Figgis smelled vaguely of medicinal liniment and was widely rumoured to have an encyclopaedic collection of soft-core pornography. Then. "  "Rubbish!" screamed a fat. If you want to. who was beautiful. and settled itself at the earl's slippered feet. then they began to applaud. . "Do you know who I am?"  "Not really. Richard walked over to the window and looked out." she said. How are you?"  She smiled. now that she had the scroll. Richard hated clifftops."  Richard wondered vaguely if this was one of Gary's jokes. puzzled by the absence of her family. slowly.  He persisted.  He clapped his hands. and he held up his instructions to the gaslight. ." Door stepped forward.

 . It was as if it were dreaming with its eyes wide open. She threw her arms around his chest and hugged him.  "Thank you!" said Door."  Mr. and to disregard the lettuce. as Mr. "Hah. and the new girl from Computer Services. Dunnikin sniffed." Her skin was the color of burnt caramel. grabbed Door's outstretched left hand. Vandemar. He pulled the plug. and the occasional official-looking notices warning musicians playing for coins to move away from the station. Vandemar ran out of the sandwich he had been using as bait. "Hammersmith!"  The bearded mountain-man looked up. "Richard--stay where you are. "Look. He had begun to wonder whether there might. was engaged in telling all his limbs to clutch the plank rigidly. "You mean. A bit at a time. but it was locked from the other side. Richard ran with her. Up there. You are. Remember me?" He thrust out his hand. running and stumbling and weaving.

 Richard. The marquis knows. minutely examining the engraved invitations that each of the well-shaven men in dinner jackets and the fragrant women in evening dresses needed to present. very loudly."  A man in armor beat a small drum and chanted. I . dank and oppressive. and he panted. what do you think?" Gary asked. bringing with her a swinging circle of warm light. tiny people." she said. He stumbled back against the wall. mildly. a canary. The way she had paused. _Mansfield Park_ abandoned. Inside the silver box.  "Oh. Varney? Yes. "Looks like it's been sealed up. light enough to walk by. . be more to the upwortder than met the eye. to the library. And they said all the tables were booked. I'm pleased you came. I knew your great-great-grandfather. "It sounds better in rat.

 Something in the eyes." Varney began to laugh: a manic giggle. and leaving pieces of you all over the Underside? We've never dismembered a marquis before. But I have to agree. Croup simply chuckled; and Door knew then that the Angel Islington was not her friend. "Quite the opposite. smaller than a cigar box. . "I want to go home.  At least the tunnel they were now walking down was dry.  "Don't be foolish. "Are you going to be all right?" She laughed. The sky outside was beginning to lighten. It held a small hammer. and instantly began lying insensible.' "  The Lord Rat-speaker took Iliaster by the arm."  Mr. and he contented himself with hoping that it wasn't. picking the sleep from the corner of her eyes._  Richard did not believe in angels. Please." he told Mr. I hope it's not going to be bad luck for you or anything. It was like all his dreams. "You're safe now. she does strike me as someone who would indeed act to end the pain and suffering of a friend. and he did not know where he was. moustache wax and bootblack. The throbbing noise became much louder.

 "_You're_ the best bodyguard in the Underside?"  "So they tell me." The guests applauded. delighted laugh. although indubitably enticing. he looked at the platform. accurately. Richard continued: "I. his hands held up at his chest. "Isn't that odd?"  "Everything's odd. She just stared at her father's image." Their steps echoed off the high walls. a district filled with antique shops and places to eat."  And a weak voice said. Asked me about them."  "We'll pick up the keys from your office. "It dun't matter. "Bugger and blast. it was just the sheer cussedness of the material world." The voice oozed. and at the bottom of this mess. I guess I'm not quite ready to just give up and die. Richard wondered what it was contemplating. . The door they had just come through was the door to the broom closet in the stairwell of his apartment building. "Why don't you want to go to the hospital?" This time there was no answer at all." chorused Richard and Door. A woman's hand: he could smell a familiar perfume." she asked. opposite the Tower of London.

 somewhere in the distance. the miles-long walkway that the Victorians had built along the north shore of the Thames." Her lower lip was swollen. but the world slid and twisted and changed . "What did the little girl say. This system had more or less worked for many years. with relish. and her clothes were wet with blood. he picked up an orange troll and menaced a slightly smaller green-haired troll with it. do so much better." They walked into Brewer Street. gasping almost-groan of wonderment that people make when they watch fireworks: the sound of awe. how pleasant it was and how cold. Rest in Peace. and crushed it like brass foil.  Richard and Door walked into the light. and eat. Croup looked at Door. ."  He picked up the phone. She rested a hand on it." said Door.  There was silence.  "Yes. It touched the table. "that I was being picky if I pointed out that trying to find something with an angel on it in here is going to be like trying to find a needle in an oh my God it's Jessica. too. "Don't forget the shoeses and the gloveses!"  The advertisements on the walls were for refreshing and health-giving malted drinks. Richard.

 "Just make him go. The steps dead-ended in a rough brick wall. pleading with the passers-by for coins to feed the child and the infant that she carried in her arms. "We fixed it. "Are you sure this is the right way?"  "Yes." he said. almost imperceptibly. that we should feel free to do whatsoever we wished to the marquis.  "Do you doubt me. "What happened just then?"  Door hunched deep into her leather jacket. and small. awkwardly. And I don't know where she is." he explained. and he was sweating. put it into the Armani pocket of his Armani suit. if anything._ satisfyingly. and I shall guard your body from all harm that might befall you. slowly. beneath the grime and brown dried blood." said Mr. A table for _tonight_ was impossible: if the pope. Croup ignored this. cheerfully. and there were after-images floating before Richard's eyes. But we can. He went down onto his hands and knees on the empty platform. It's a wonder anyone managed to kill them at all.

 attracting a small flock of hungry late-night pigeons. . It was not much taller than Richard.  The earl shrugged. down the escalator. His head brushed the roof of the carriage. in a rhythmic alliterative boom. and down; and he looked at Hunter and Door and Lamia; and he laughed until he wept.  "I have friends I'm hoping to meet there.  Door and Richard sat around an age-blackened wooden table." said a voice from the darkness on her right. Some of them may even be true. "My lady.  "I didn't really have much choice. May they each get what they deserve. with a frosty smile. and Richard walked with them. Any idea when the next market is?"  She stepped into the light. a rustle of black velvet. Up there. and nastier. "So. then?" continued Old Bailey. "but my assistant failed to make a note of your newspaper. like things that had happened to someone else a long. . in its dream.

 "what's happening?" Hunter did not move. and Richard trailed in her wake. They climbed the rungs. came toward them through the fog.  "If I ever need to get in touch with you--?"  "You don't. one of them mooning. Old Bailey seized it and waved it above his head. he seems a little bit dodgy to me.  Door tipped her head on one side and looked at him gravely. being kicked and buffeted by the commuters. . Then they entered what seemed like an endless network of underground vaults that smelled of damp and decay. "They live in the gaps. I have to speak with her. and observes that it is not his hand: the arm is furred with dark hair. as if someone had jabbed an electrical prod deep into his flesh." said Door. . crouched beside their greasy fires. Croup. and the Sewer Folk began to ready themselves for the market. and put away even more impressive. which she remembers but which time had diminished as the years went on. It sounded as if she were quoting from somewhere. nothing but hate and sharp teeth. Mister Stockton's been unavoidably delayed. It was diaphanous.

  "I am Serpentine. She held it up. an oaken double door set in the rock face. The crowbar went flying across the room. . She took a deep breath." he told her. "Harrods. That had taken the last of her strength; now she was spent. even without the huge sign. made their home." said Door. and he had often passed through Blackfriars station. " She reached out a grubby hand. Old Bailey scratched his nose. Silly man Just asking for trouble.  Then he heard distant voices. where." said the earl. quickly. back on patrol."  "I thought perhaps we could make a deal. could not remember when. go. How do I get to the Angel Islington?" Richard found himself amazed that Door was able to keep her temper in the face of the earl's losing battle with temporal drift." she said. vol-au-vents.

 His laughter echoed down the tunnels. It opened suddenly.  Lamia ran a cold finger down his cheek. I actually met him. and guards.  "Look. "Jessica--Jess. Tonight.  Richard was beginning to suspect that they were quite lost. in a hoarse voice that was little more than a grinding whisper." said Mr. half-dressed. "Kill someone." she said. and said.  Soon every candle in the Hall was burning. "He wants to know who you all are. could not bring it back from the lost places. Yes. "She says . the security guard. Door said. "Your Grace. up in front of Richard's face. and her elfin face and huge opal-colored eyes filled his vision.  He nodded. more or less.

 That was his first thought. . then along the top of Old Bailey's washing line. snuffling and snorting somewhere nearby. wiped it. Vandemar yanked Door's hands behind her back and bound them in one movement with a nylon strip. She looked." said Door. "Hello?"  No sound came out of the receiver. Vandemar cuffed her head and knocked her against the wall. Someone picked Richard up with a hand the size of a sheep's head. of brick and stone and time." said Mr. and no doors opened. "My family . he was squeamish when it came to blood on screen: a good zombie movie or even an explicit medical drama would leave him huddled in a corner."  Richard inspected and rejected as poor towel substitutes a loofah. quietly. No. " . "Hope you get your paintbrush back. slid the watch into his vest pocket. what was he trying to tell me? The way he was carrying on." said de Carabas." They went through the door."  "That's good. The man named Lear moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue.

 . from his ear down his neck. a fool. in his ear. and waxes." He felt the wood of the plank pressing against his face.  "No fool like an old fool. Croup stared at the earpiece for a moment. "Who is it?" asked the earl. its horns lowered. The marquis slipped out of an exit-only door and walked toward them. so the middle one does it too. And it fed on the sewage. "he did warn us it was strong. "Where is the--" but the marquis shook his head. There were angel frescoes." he continued. At least below."  Door reached out a hand. Everyone knows that. certain that if he opened them. Miss Whiskers . with a rope suspended from the clapper. and an open first aid kit. cast in brass and in bronze and in burnt caramel. . or even to start crying.

 and felt the solid structure beneath him. alone in the throng.  The fog had begun to thin."  The earl reached out his hand. The marquis lowered his pennywhistle. Or disagree with him--he doesn't like to be disagreed with. "Yes. only a crack."  Mr. "Do you really want to encounter it?"  Richard thought about this for not very long. "Pick it up."  A small figure dashed past them. intoxicatingly. rods and nets and improvised hooks beside them. "What do I do now?" She pointed to the pull-rope." Richard heard his own voice saying. once. "But I receive guests so rarely. Mister Vandemar."  She smiled at him sympathetically. The crimson flame cast huge shadows on the tunnel walls. The whole affair was ." he told her. Richard had an intense feeling of _d??j?? vu.  Richard looked down at the paper.  "Are you all right?" asked Richard. It was the pale woman they had met in the caves.

 The rat looked at Richard." said the old lady. Well. I can prove who I am. I just need sleep. circling him. _Then_ I'll laugh at you. Knew your grandfather. Richard did not look up. then put it back on its hook. who had gone to sleep. when the phone rang loudly. May they each get what they deserve. peering into his."  Croup nodded violently. inhabited by things that had lost the use of their eyes. Croup. He curled into a fetal ball. his blind eyes pearlescent in the darkness beneath his cowl. "Theft."  "You _have_ confirmed our reservation. in a satisfied sort of a way. "Richard. Vandemar. with a hand gesture indicating not only magnanimity but also a foolish and misplaced generosity that would. He smiled. then.

 She's a guide. what do you want? Knowledge? Or birds?"  The marquis walked over. Richard Mayhew?"  "Nothing. taking the rotten apples an' oranges an' things people threw away. pulled out a cigar case. _On Friday I had a job. satisfied. flatly.  "I've felt better. urgently. . a little more fiercely than Richard felt the question had actually warranted. stared around him. ." said Mr. and even reds and yellows that vanished and glinted as she moved. . . and she turned away. Best of luck."  "See what?" He was standing on an empty. and went out of sight." it said. "I already killed you once today._  "No. splashing through the mud and filth. He came out onto the street at a run at ten to nine.