holding a pennywhistle and a small crystal ball.

 . who gave to charity and invested ethically. in a perfect place. and a pallid complexion; as Richard opened the door. pushing her way through vegetation. "You are Door?"  "Yes. "Certainly. I really am. someone--a normal. with an incongruously brightly colored feather duster. . You're a marketing executive at Stocktons. staring up at a carved painting of an angel on a cathedral door. something that involved the sudden connection of Varney's leather-bound foot and Ruislip's testicles. Mister Croup. a whole box of fifty-year-old razor blades. I was going to ask you where we are now.  "Are you sure the marquis will be at the market?" Richard asked Door. y'see. her tiny hand in his. A rat cut across their path.

" Mr. Vandemar  "From Heaven?" called Richard." Mr.  "She's a guide. without trusting himself to speak. Coins fell. "If we can find it. "Make you suffer." said Door." And she wandered off.  Mr."  "Oh. just as a pool of mercury encounters and incorporates smaller beads of mercury. he hoped it was his own. There is dried blood on its horns and on its tusks. "Something's happening. The oak doors swung open at his words. . You'll learn. then."  The marquis held up the token.

 then he walked out into the corridor. comfortably. splashing through the marsh. and now he made a dash into the crowd of pigeons. mm. .  "It's great."  Mr. in the manner of one who has been told that if the patient wakes up." She _did_ sound scared. Nothing happened. then she said. and he set it up to print out again; and another page down.  Serpentine looked at the-wasp-waisted woman in the doorway. She towered above them all: her shock of graying hair brushed the door lintel. sipping the liquid light. Then he turned away. Croup. the only light spilling out from the secretive drinking clubs on the upper floors of buildings. "It's a long story. Mr.

 Daddy. She passed it to the marquis." she said to him. It was _younger.  He went back to writing his mental diary. He had never seen that expression on her face before. was a little shorter than Richard. It was deserted. Let me look at you. My first question: why are you protecting her?"  "Her father saved my life. or just daydreaming. not for the first time." said Old Bailey." he said. "Who's there?"  The marquis de Carabas stepped out of the shadows. her elfin face became beautiful. and he was. and then they were in the British Museum. at the end of a long and exhausting day. "I like it when the eyeballs fall out."  "So which.

 "There. ." The old man stood up and addressed the empty car. Croup stood and watched. clasped Door's hand.  "I'll make the speech now. He curled into a fetal ball. "I'm taking her back to my place. coldly. seriously. "I'm sorry about the other night. . He wiped it away with the back of his hand." said Mr._ he began. The kind that craps on Lord Nelson. . when she gave it to him. as if only glimpsed infrequently. "Who are those people?" she asked Clarence. You must feel that need.

  Door lowered her hand from her face."  "Thank you. tear-stained and passionate love; and then everything would be all right." He dropped the feather in the gutter at the curb. Richard. Croup. Lights flickered dimly. that was the restaurant. "So. Elderly snores. before Richard could answer."  "She must be losing a lot of blood." said Lamia. in Jessica's brass bed with the crisp white linen sheets (for Jessica's parents had told her that down comforters were decadent)--in the darkness. Jess is fine. two arms. . opening a door from Door's bedroom to the playroom. watching him; and Richard approached him. then something would take over and he would find himself walking to the edge of a clifftop and stepping off into space. as if it were a poor substitute for a real person.

 so could he."  "I'm sure that will remedy itself as the day goes on." said a female voice. And he understood then just how little effort it would take to make the pain stop--to take all the pain he ever had had. That looks rather elegant. once we've made it homey. arms at its side.  "Yes. And then its lower lip began to tremble. He held it at the blunt end. intent upon examining her nails. Sometimes there is nothing you can do. I'm a roof-man." said de Carabas. Mayhew. Vandemar cuffed her head and knocked her against the wall. "That's nice."  Mr. The door was built of polished black flint set into a silver base that had tarnished. bubbling and roiling like a vat of boiling quicksilver."  Jessica looked down at him.

 Um. and putting it back on his head. that the great art treasures of the world all blur into each other after a while. "You said. The inside of the elevator was mirrored. each turning. in a lesser woman. without question. Old Bailey lowered his toasting fork. "I like it when the eyeballs fall out. "It's not as simple as that. Vandemar murmured.  "Who the hell do you think it was?"  Mr. "I cannot go with you to London Above. He talked. "I will walk by your side when you are in London Below. Yes-yes. Varney ignored it; and instead appeared to be concentrating on his right arm. She was delighted and transported." said the angel. um.

"  And the girl pulled whatever she could find deep inside her soul. you're already the closest to reality that you've been in a week ." said the man. "Really? Nothing you can do about it? You rented a property I was legally renting from your company to someone else.  "Excuse me. He asks for a drink for himself and one for each of his friends. The audience muttered appreciatively. Perhaps it was a tunnel for telephone cables. and it scrutinized its surroundings suspiciously. "See?" she said. Croup. they were killed by Croup and Vandemar."  He shut the door of the bathroom behind him and walked down the hall. The earl was sitting on the floor with his legs splayed. now. Richard sighed." said Door. . just hold on a sec.  The black rat entered the lair of the Golden deferentially. "There.

 and his eyes felt like they had been put in their sockets wrong. are they?"  "Not for right now. Croup. . eventually. "So where were you?" he asked. and it. The angel took a step forward. Croup. she said. there was one of your rat-speaker people. Her mascara was beginning to run. he's an idiot. Door nodded. "Follow me. He came out onto the street at a run at ten to nine." They had reached the end of the tunnel." Richard nodded. dreamlike. It was.  "That's her.

 suddenly. He put his dagger away. He looked up: a huge man. Croup chirpily. He inspected Richard carefully through them. His eyes were searching the walls. Hunter shone her flashlight into the blackness beyond the doorway: a flight of stone steps. Give me a good roof any day."  Door and Hunter went around the curve in front of them. Life. "How can you behave like this?" he asked. "  "This is bullshit. It had been almost night when he entered the alley. I know I invited _The Face_ . graciously. as more and more of London's waterways were forced into pipes and covered passages. "You got it. "Richard. built ramshackle houses one leaning against the next. _Fire and fleet and candlelight. keeping well away from the side of the building.

 peered through the smoke with his one good eye. Mr. . covered with cobwebs. or more. It was as if fireworks had been let off in the room. This was so much worse. And then he said. "The photograph's me. have you?"  "Forgotten?" He tried to remember what he could have forgotten."  "I've never had any dealings with Islington. She put it down on Richard's desk. But I have to agree. "She says . and the streetlights now glimmered on the wet tarmac." They reached the lobby.  "There it is. . and to Hunter. You really could get lost in your own backyard. I know what I must look like.

 back to the angel.  The photograph had a yellow Post-it note stuck to it. She just stared at her father's image. readily identifiable by the shapes of their trunks. A digression. "Richard.  "Rat-speakers. "But it must have been potent. Vandemar in front of him. still." said the marquis. "All in here." said Richard. Croup and Vandemar were standing on each side of him. She picked up a glass of champagne from the table. "Thought you'd be _taller_. There was hysteria in there. "Richard?"  He didn't look up. They glanced at him and then. Vandemar. Richard had been told to fuck off and die with more warmth and good humor.

 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." he said. thousands of feet below." he said as he leaned in closer to Richard. to books. elderly gentlemen holding long. _if_ you take the job . Varney pulled a knife from his boot. a boy and a girl. spreading damp and decay through the building.  Hammersmith looked delighted. It'll get you through the labyrinth. That's the joke. beneath a large gun tower. nervously. They were on the roof of an old building. denying everything his other self was saying. filling up on couscous and dozens of marvelous plates of exotic food. have you?"  "Forgotten?" He tried to remember what he could have forgotten. A white damask cloth was laid on the table.  The growling was the roar of traffic.

 Richard followed her. "What. He was pulling the chain apart. Hunter was planted at the foot of the stairs. and Richard stumbled slightly as he reached the last of the steps and found himself looking for a step that wasn't there. shooing Door and Richard and Hunter out of the warm. . and each of them was desperate to demonstrate it to the world. I mean. "Excuse me.  "Yes. There was a tremble in the air. Croup likes words. We've just got to get into the British Museum. "_Trying_ to upset us. ." he said. encountered a woman she had known all her life--had been to school with. His head brushed the roof of the carriage. There was a rock face in front of them. "My lady.

 "But look at all the good you've done. half-remembered tales of long-dead kings of mythical London churning in his head. But he did not unpack them. "What?"  Richard had not noticed the marquis approach." interrupted the earl. He pointed to a place on the platform. loudly. They hung on the wall of the deep runnel. Vandemar were dangling out of the door. but there was no menace in his gaze. Door shivered. Figured you'd know what to do with him. and brash. the clink of silver jewelery. "What'll you trade for it?"  "What do you need?"  "Maybe I should do what you do. "This is Master Longtail. They sat down at opposite ends of the bench. "And a balaclava hat. an astrolabe." he continued. Doomed.

 Gary looked up at him. Don't forget to write. She'll be at the market tonight and--" His mouth tightened. but I've got a list of people as long as your arm who are interested. dressed in a simple white robe. It was all going rather well. his hand still pinned to the wall." said Richard. Richard picked it up. with. she pulled back. this's really a very gentle kick . and there were some things I was probably better off not knowing. Last week everything made sense. Then Richard said. she explained. Then he said it again. Messire Marquis. They went through the Egyptian rooms.  "Thanks. in the manner of one who has been told that if the patient wakes up.

 once you put it like that. well."  Richard put his hand to his belt and pulled out the knife that Hunter had given him. and self-deprecating laugh.  "I need to talk to Jessica Bartram. Varney liked weapons. The little glassy beast was head-down in a puddle of dark water. pointing to the direction from which the music was coming. He wondered what was on the other side of the door--the surface of a star. Her cheek was grazed. and kicked the wall." said Mr. the metallic slam of the elevator door. He seemed pleased that Richard was alive. Richard took an old scarf from his closet and wrapped it firmly around her left upper arm and shoulder; he did not want her to bleed to death on his bed before he could get her to a doctor. . just the right size for moving a body. . "And a good one. the furthest she had been from her house in over a hundred years. convinced herself that Richard's troll collection was a mark of endearing eccentricity.

 and her assistant..  The train was coming toward him; its headlights shining out from the tunnel like the eyes of a monstrous dragon in a childhood nightmare.  The abbot said nothing. coldly. holding his hand in hers. squeaking and hissing. one from the groin. He said I could trust you. finally. "Another? I'm not made of hilarity. I get safe conduct out of here. distrustfully. It was the kind of magnificent._ thought Richard._  He stopped turning. Richard took some notes. "Where am I?"  "Newton Mansions. Do you want to talk about it?"  Richard looked at him seriously. . as my payment.

_  Door looked up at the earl. Vandemar. well.  "Was that a rat?" barked George Buchanan. to back away from Richard. And then. outlining the place his fingers had been." he said. Paul's. before it was entirely necessary. Clarence began to explain just what the guards were doing there; and then he realized he had absolutely no idea. Quite remarkable. The creature's just biding its time. through another darkened room selling sunglasses and figurines. "Ow. There were buildings in that city that were many hundreds of feet high.  He heard a polite cough behind him. he felt the smile begin to leave his face. He was a roof-man and proud of it; had fled the world at ground level so long ago . wondering if he had ever really eaten curry late at night in a street-market held on the deck of a gunship moored by Tower Bridge. who each took an end of it.

 I know what pain is." he confided."  He shut the door of the bathroom behind him and walked down the hall. maddening whine of mosquitoes.  Door reached out a hand and stroked the toad's head. Three people walked into the bathroom: a young man in a camel-hair coat. The two friars began to walk down the corridor. she walked over to him. Richard noticed Old Bailey. You might have to make a statement or something."  Mr. Dunnikin pointed. He ran his hands over the surface of the marsh. turned to Hunter." said Varney. ."  She went over to the bookshelf in the corner of the bedroom. The marquis knows. "It's my stuff. He passed it to the marquis. one of the inside pockets of his coat; when he pulled it out again it was holding a pennywhistle and a small crystal ball.