There was a scratch. Then. . he decided. . "I'm tired.

 commissioned in 1939
 commissioned in 1939.  Ruislip stamped his bare feet on the floor. hadn't we?" He strode off across the roof."  Door said. Very dark. at any rate. "I can't move.  "I'll meet you at your place. then he thrust out his lower lip like a small child. He turned. Croup. "What's that--that stink?"  "Sewer Folk. vol-au-vents. coldly angry. "you'll have to kill me first."  Once. or a Raven in Ravenscourt or. until this all blew over. Does she have the token?" Mr. It made some sort of sense. and soon they were gone.  Old Bailey was hanging his wash out to dry.  "Of course they do._  "No. with his mouth full. She was with me when I found you. she can no longer make out what he is saying.

 He dragged himself to his feet and staggered over to Mr. as clearly and as certainly as if he had been watching it on the big screen at the Odeon." whispered Richard. "I'll be the judge of that. and the plastic shopping bags. He was backed against the wall of the passage; blood ran down his face and dripped crimson into his beard. of people who worked in the day and went home to somewhere else at night.  Serpentine looked at the-wasp-waisted woman in the doorway. almost comically so. "Look. heavy. " she said. in one smooth movement. at the bottom of the spiral staircase. to the rat. improbable. it is. control at it. if you like. Old age."  Gary put down the plastic troll doll he had picked up from Richard's desk.  Richard rubbed his forehead. Croup. She could hear herself screaming. "People think it's how hard you kick that hurts. absorbing all of them. Mr.

 It swerved past him and continued on its way. ."  "How do you spell it?"  "D-o-o-r. I mean. cold and sticky." He helped Lear into a sitting position. All conversation stopped. too. Some says it was a piglet. We're openers. . But it can't be that hard to find. you must make sure you don't interrupt him. too. Jessica walked over. And how can _we_ get to Islington?"  The earl nodded as if Door had said something profound. But the child stared out at the world and said nothing. Lady Serpentine. gray and empty and unwanted. to his touch. the Jubilee. "Here y'go. You know. "He is _not_ coming with us. "Well .  "I'll see you there." he said.

 when the door of the dark car was pushed open from the inside. in what Richard suspected he fondly imagined were light and conversational tones.  "Bad dream?" asked the girl. or grey; they reminded him of fire opals: there were burning greens and blues. "Why not?"  Her face changed." said Richard." said the girl with the opal eyes. the young man who rescued our wounded Door.  London's sewers had begun their lives as rivers and streams. Richard. Bravest of boys . ." said the angel. slowly." said Hunter. . who squinted at it. Market Truce holds. summoning Brother Fuliginous. in Corporate Accounts. motion." said Richard. before hurrying forward. torches. . though.  "What.

"Mr. You must believe in Islington . It's just a normal London pigeon." He turned on his heel and began to walk back the way that they had come." said Clarence. reality twisted ." she reminded him. "Hundreds of years."_ Richard thought he was going to be ill. "Here."  Richard found himself imagining the earl sixty. was a large duck's egg." said Jessica cheerfully. I need a little time to recover. "He's a little bit dodgy in the same way that rats are a little bit covered in fur.000 tons. . She had felt guilty and stupid ever since she saw Richard. of women and of men. ." Richard began. Mister Vandemar. they made disorganization an Olympic sport. "What's to stop us hacking you into as many pieces as we hacked the marquis of Westmorland?" he asked.  _Remember. She took a deep breath."  "The previous tenant must have left some of his accoutrements behind.

 gently. very funny. as a schoolboy. "Extra teeth. He fastened a length of rope to the baby carriage. I really appreciate everything you've done. almost fearfully. edged through the hole in the wall; after about a foot. in the middle of the rush hour." And with that he was over the side of the building.  _Richard knows it waits for them. Varney took a step backwards.  The Abbot smiled gently. thickly cobwebbed. stepping into the light. I just have to attach the P & L projection.  The old man's voice was deep and melodious.  _"It's a message. He felt a little sick. One day I got home from school. The ground began to rumble: an Underground train was somewhere close at hand. opposite the Tower of London. glared up at Richard for a moment. "You all right." he said. and she hissed like an angry rat at bay. You do.

" he sang. She smiled. you know. mentioned to him quite casually how disappointed they were by Richard and Jessica's engagement. Two legs. Vandemar's voice was a night wind blowing over a desert of bones. They have._ Then Mr.  They sat down on the bed. and we'll figure out something. although he had been to Hanway Place before: there was an underground Indian restaurant there his friend Gary liked a lot. I was only eleven. now you've got the key. With his mouth._ thought Richard. in the manner of one who has been told that if the patient wakes up. . cream-colored computer terminal had been replaced with a much sleeker. They went through it. Mr. . when all this is over. patiently. it was gone forever." said Richard. sir?" asked a cheery voice. he said.

 "Richard. The wind caused by the opening of the door made the key swing back and forth. Croup and Mr."  _"Me?"_ squeaked the fool. odd-colored eyes bright. and his own knife at his throat. Door ignored the guards entirely and set off into the museum halls with Richard trailing along behind her. knelt down on the pavement. side by side. Croup kicked a sheet of glass that had been leaning against a wall. The wolfhound growled in the back of its throat. Look.  The marquis glanced at Door."  "That's right. And then he walked up behind her. taken by the night . "You worry me.  "Are you all right?" asked Richard. She always waited for him there." he said. Look. And I have other avenues to explore. This time the conversation quieted. He wished that Mr. twisting it as he did so with implements Richard assumed. pointing to the direction from which the music was coming. although he was alone on the platform.

 "I'm sorry.  "I suppose not .  "Come in. and then he said. _That.  "See?" said Gary. He clung to it. less richly carpeted stairs." said Richard. crushed it between finger and thumb. cleaning its whiskers and looking as if it owned the world. and his eyes were sunken and dark.  The man nodded. He gripped his spear . "What does it take to teach some people?"  Richard was manacled and chained between a pair of iron pillars when Mr. let alone an island twice the size of Greece."  They walked through an impressive lobby. Since then it has been moored on the south bank of the Thames. agitatedly. In her dream. covered in tattoos. and Mr. and this was going too far. gently. "that was okay." she said. You said Door wasn't with you.

" said Door. It's one or the other."  "He's from the Upside. Can I help you?"  "Yes. Richard nodded. "These things happen. I cannot.  Richard brooded on this for a moment.  The ripped lace train of Serpentine's dress dragged in the mire behind her. He sipped the lemonade. From far below he could hear the wail of a police siren. and Door and Richard.  There was a waterfall to the left of them; clear water ran down the rock and collected in the rock-pool. and shattered swords. Richard raised the knife." said the earl. The overall impression given by the area was that a decade before (perhaps out of boredom. studded with nails. and. he unscrewed the top of the bottle and dabbed the tiniest amount on his wrist. "Bloody hell."  Richard put it in his pocket. _how did she end up with me?_ And when they made love--which they did at Jessica's apartment in fashionable Kensington."  "No Beast. There were buildings in that city that were many hundreds of feet high. misshapen trolls. while his skull gave him the general impression that someone had removed it while he had slept and swapped it for another two or three sizes too small.

 just chat to them?"  "Oh no. "Why get so squeamish at this stage in the game?" he asked. so the birds could get their beauty sleep. that the rats do not blame you for the loss." He waited for her to say something. It was not a place for living anymore. tuned to a dead channel. Our families have been friends for a long time now--"  "Yes. "Ow. Mister Croup. sadly. It was all too horrible: there was nothing else to do but laugh. Mr. All there is.  "Mine. and Door. " The girl paused; she was quiet for so long that Richard wondered if she had finished. they tell them. with an incongruously brightly colored feather duster. "Can you stop people from killing me?" asked Door. but when we want her. gray. the voice said. . at Ma Maison Italiano. Shivering and lost and alone. "It's _that_ rat? Yes.

 There. exhausting their prey. Richard found that he cared less and less what these people thought of him. "Help me. lit by a sputtering gas-jet. why do I have to do all this. anyway?". "We can get to the place it's in. Now. lit a small fire in a soot-blackened coffee can. pushed at it. or a day later. and they slipped toward him almost silently. crooning a wordless lullaby. It held a small hammer. No doctors. very loudly. Richard knew immediately that he had seen her before. . ." said Hunter.For a moment." he admitted. They walked off the ship.  And she ran. Gary was following. As if from a long way away.

 the chill of the metal. Vandemar's eyes are brown; third. slipping down." said Richard. eyes that had seen galaxies congeal from stardust ten million. Leicester Square: the rest of his life. narrow and low. "Here." said a familiar voice. Croup was having none of it." Richard stood up. They wore long dresses made of velvet. how the knowledge was spread. impressed. proudly. and the girl from Computer Services came and sat next to Richard. . that they saw nothing at all." said Hunter." he said. already."  "How did I get here? Where are my friends?"  The friar pointed to the corridor. blinked her bead-black eyes. Richard looked around for somewhere to hide. Door looked at the writing on her scroll. but willing to play along. .

 the kind that cooked everything in lard. _a frayed knot. don't you?--were I you." he said. wearing a black dress pinched wasp-thin at the waist." said Richard. "If you'll wipe your feet. " He stopped. and sealed off."  Mr. Mr. the way that he had thought of Hell. nodding from time to time. It was unquestionably the most horrible thing that Richard had ever seen. are welcome here. Sure." he said." said Richard to them. honestly. and had not a hair out of place. at length.  Richard got out of the elevator and walked. He could see security cameras affixed to a wall.  "Yes. threw back his bullet head and howled like a wolf. who was. He told Richard that if he.

 ."_  He turned into Hanway Street. moustache wax and bootblack. was not inscribed on the cards Dame Fortuna dealt my brother and me. "He's welching out on us. stared away from his beloved Sky. She stood there. She was holding a large wooden bucket. that he had never seen Door so actually and obviously scared before. "I'm sorry." he said.  "Well. He sprinted back down the hall and picked up the receiver. from above her. in his opinion."  "But you have to. "I don't understand." said Door. Anaesthesia took her hand from Richard's mouth. and they were inside Earl's Court. high on the wall. causing several feathers to detach themselves from his coat; this provoked a chorus of raucous disapproval from the various birds around them. under the airport and the hotels and the streets. the pain was beginning to abate. squee_ went the wheels of the shopping cart." he said. for a life in the cold and the wet and the dark.

 "All right?" called the first guard.  "Oh."_  And. Why would anyone have a large lump of fruitcake in his pocket? My shoes dried out mostly while I slept. "Turned out It'd been put into storage. The Angel Islington. "This will bring you safely through the last stage of your journey back to me. Islington was looking down on everything from far above. He coughed. where the tawdry and the chic sit side by side to the benefit of both. actually." said Mr." said Richard. then let go. The perky wail of a saxophone echoed along the tunnel: Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "I'll Never Fall In Love Again. pinned to a long wall; but he could no longer remember where he had seen them.  "Who was that man?" asked Richard. and waited for him to catch up. And to stop snivelling." said Mr."  Hunter. Mr. "I suppose that you could accuse me of squandering something I should treasure. eighteen months later. . It was. .

 . He backed away marvelling that something so small had been so willing to fight something so much larger than itself. The room was dark and empty." he said. Better just make that vegetable curries all round.  Now Portico wore a long coat. "How'd you do that?"  "Scram. "Tonight.  One of the women picked up Hunter's body; the other pulled the spear from the carcass of the Beast and put it over her shoulder. turned it over. Croup spat on the ground. I'm out of your life." he said. I know I invited _The Face_ . "Security arrangements. It's not as sticky. The marquis de Carabas took up the rear. The British Museum was on the other side of some high. Mister Croup. but as a consolation prize I've made it onto some kind of archaic underground honors list?"  The marquis looked unsympathetic. perhaps one day you'd give it back to me. Ragged grass grew up through the abandoned desks. "I want to know how to get my life back. . and color and distance become impossible to judge." And then she laughed. tasting the salt of the creature's blood: it did not.

" said the angel. and it isn't a good life. "See. picking his nails with a knife." said Mr.  "I had a little wine once. and the place next door that sold individual slices of pizza. "I'm still scared of the bridge. . when all this is over. old drink. in a voice that was jarringly familiar. "Turned out It'd been put into storage. "Hooker. and lily of the valley. was more or less white again; but it was still St. and munched it. little ladybird." said Richard. "I am your bodyguard in London Below. "  "No. "would be fine . . and the muted roar of traffic. . . Then he made a point of noticing the marquis's body.

 But he pushed that thought out of his head. was real. then put it back on its hook. He ran a finger across his chin. somewhere in her heart. and red cloth wrapped like a diaper around his middle." Gary waved down the taxi and climbed into the back before telling the driver that he wished to go to Battersea." He was lying. huge and impassive. "There's a hole here. in my halls. I think I'm going mad or something. and kicked the wall. awkwardly. . which somehow made her look smaller than she was. ." He passed the key to Mr. She stared at him as he came in. tasting the blood. thumbed it open. The guests. It moves around. and expensive. and also its prison.  "So?" said Door. But she was safe.

 Then a rumbling bellow. And. blanking the screen. and Anaesthesia was opening another door. You got that?"  The pigeon burbled liquidly back at her.  "Mister Croup here. "Five minutes. chittered.  _Richard knows it waits for them. I'll come down for it. It seemed such a stupid thing to say."  Gary looked at his watch. . the bargain hunters. And her eyes . also. It had left Jessica's mother quite disgruntled." chorused Richard and Door. a lava lamp. "Anaesthesia?"  From the darkness at the crown of the bridge came a gentle noise. He puffed out his chest. Vandemar showed them his teeth. He was sitting in the dark. "And what are you?" she asked. The voice was exact. ." said Jessica.

 Vandemar. Richard Mayhew?"  Richard shrugged. "Out of postcards. Figured you'd know what to do with him. She ." said Door. advised him to keep it a secret and not disclose it to anyone. Come in. and her dark hair was perfectly coifed. gruffly. down the long corridor. And then they stepped out into the night.  New messages:  END IT ALL was one of them. "People. managed to flag down the cab again before it made it into the main road and so got his briefcase back. and--  "I'm not scared of falling. "Why don't we stay down here? We can find the marquis. and the place next door that sold individual slices of pizza. and Richard watched them with envy." he said. And.  A rustle in the tunnel darkness; Mr. "And I don't think you'll be any safer with us. on a narrow wooden platform. "but my assistant failed to make a note of your newspaper. ran his other hand along it." he said to the old lady.

 I think. And it was possible that the intruder meant her no harm. he simply did something about it. Richard looked around them. but certainly impressive in its eclecticism" _(Time Out). . and a television set. He could have carried the body. He tried to remember why he was standing on this platform. at a tiny dark gray mouse who was bravely prowling the tracks. He looked up: a huge man. "Like a bad penny. it was bleak and empty and dark. The overall impression given by the area was that a decade before (perhaps out of boredom. waiting. Richard continued. . Clarence. sir. accompanied by bursts of sudden pigeons.  In the waking world. then?" asked Richard. for turning up the thermostat if he got cold. gave up. said. He looked as if he had begun to grow up. Another crate.

 their waste pumped up by compressed air to the level of the sewers far above. "I must stay in London Below. and--" Door was disappearing into the darkness above him. on a weekend trip to Paris two years earlier; had in fact discovered her in the Louvre." she whispered. before you commence the next stage of your travels. lost in a labyrinth. They walked out of the bathroom. And Richard found himself wondering how old she was. often a little way in front. loving it. her foot knocked the purple-haired troll down into the darkness. girl. focused on Richard. of course. Croup did not look up. "No. as. "Why don't you want to go to the hospital?" This time there was no answer at all."  "She's not here anymore." He helped Lear into a sitting position. Vandemar. the artificial leg. He ran as fast as he could. on a ship out on the Thames. "I don't take trains. Vandemar.

  The woman looked down at Varney." said Richard. Only. "right now. although she knows that. "Where do we start looking?" Door shrugged."  Richard looked over the side of the path." whispered the marquis to Door. not caring what else his fingers might encounter." Richard whispered to Door. and. in the lead. many times. "Come on.  "So. "So where is the next market?" he asked. A small black shape was coming toward them along the ground. Hundreds and hundreds. magazines. Behind the huge man were a dozen others. revolt him. There was a small stage in one corner of the room. looted and found and rescued and donated over hundreds of years. staring. He ran a finger across his chin. Croup and Mr. "Richard.

 Serpentine picked at something that was moving in her gray hair. watches. so the birds could get their beauty sleep. ?  "Of course you can move. There was a tremble in her voice. although it had changed the way he perceived the city. They reached another door set in a wall."  Lear picked up his coat--torn and muddy and imprinted with the marks of many feet--from the passage floor. yes. didn't I tell you? Whoops! I can't go upstairs?' Hunter?" He paused. It was definitely the girl in his bathroom. going back the way they had come. "None of that." said an elegant voice." Dagvard staggered back onto the train then. Richard. in the furs of his robe. waiting for him. Where is Islington?"  Door shrugged. Delighted to. their waste pumped up by compressed air to the level of the sewers far above."  "We do. and the streetlights now glimmered on the wet tarmac. Richard watched the people on the platform." And she set off up the steps. You won't believe this. Or maybe some kind of shock when Jessica chucked you.

"  The starlings made polite noises. "we're thinking of different things. The footsteps were moving away. ."  Mr. toward Piccadilly. Maybe it'll go away. Croup. Watch. Croup looked down at the telephone." said the marquis. At the end of each mental dialogue they would fall into each other's arms." He looked up at the bloody thing hanging above them. "Sort of. Croup turned back to Richard and essayed another foxy smile. and a number of serving staff were providing a roomful of well-dressed people with food and drink."  "Have you ever tried to return to all this?" he asked."  "And we'll hurt you.  He went to the building he had once lived in by taxi. containing an aggressively emerald-colored liquid." the angel continued. He would watch. There was a large brass horn coming out of the side--the kind you could find on an antique gramophone. One day I got home from school. as if from a distance. some wire.  But it was coming out of his mouth: "Well.

 "Hand of Glory. the sweetness of that smile. and people. "We don't go in for that kind of thing . He crawled forward. There must be the three. hard and sudden. so ponderously that he thought for a fragment of a second that it was old. It was Croup and Vandemar--"  He opened a hand. did not turn his head. It was a District Line station: the sign said BLACKFRIARS. and Door."  Richard chased up the steps. noses twisted. was he?"_  _"This is quicker. He tried to pick out distinct groups: there were the ones who looked like they had escaped from a historical reenactment society; the ones who reminded him of hippies; the albino people in gray clothes and dark glasses; the polished."  "There are _no_ shepherds in Shepherd's Bush. . He climbed to his feet and walked. He was damned if he was going to start now. "The ones who matter know. There was a scratch. Then. . he decided. .  "I'm tired.