leather jacket she had been wearing when he had found her.

 certain that if he opened them
 certain that if he opened them. as Richard had initially thought: they seemed to have been woven from _light." She nodded. He's also a corporate entity in his own right." She opened the scroll the earl had given her. You can call anyone you wish." Richard began to follow."  "Excuse me. "Like the alligators in the sewers of New York City. The candles were unlit; but as the tall form walked past.  Two thousand years before. The door was built of polished black flint set into a silver base that had tarnished. the room had long been destroyed and forgotten. They were in a large anteroom. with his eyes closed. "I'm not surprised you haven't been able to open it. in their elegant black suits." gurned Old Bailey with a grin that was most terrible to behold. "Like the alligators in the sewers of New York City. the doors hissed open. "Five minutes.

 and handed it to the girl. accusingly. uncertain whether or not Old Bailey was pulling his leg.  "I didn't really have much choice. Went rotten. Richard had noticed that events were cowards: they didn't occur singly. and a little sad." said Richard. Mister Vandemar?"  "Not kindly at all.  Clarence was talking to someone on his portable phone. testing the edge on the blade; and then she smiled. killing you.  The basement world beneath the empty hospital wards comprised more than a hundred tiny rooms. perhaps. from his ear down his neck. there was a reason I asked you here. Touched it. Lord Rat-speaker. with ragged cuts in their throats or bullet holes in their temples.  The marquis raised an eyebrow. each man and woman desperately fighting and clawing in order to give Lear their money.

 Hunting. They stared at each other. She was worried. For a moment. "Can you hear me?"  Her eyes opened. somehow. of course. Nothing happened. There were paintings of angels on the walls. "Forget it. Richard knew immediately that he had seen her before. "There we go. His torso and legs were covered in a variety of deep indigo and purple bruises. And then she looked down."  "That doesn't bother me. managed to flag down the cab again before it made it into the main road and so got his briefcase back. Are you getting out much. and then they were in the British Museum. against the warm dead flanks of the Beast. not unpleasantly." said Richard.

" He did not know if there was anyone helping him at that moment. . "Remember.  "We should leave now. "It is an honor finally to meet you and your companion. It stared about it sleepily. Mr. Life. nor had the point of the crossbow wavered.  "The Floating Market. distantly. who were gradually becoming more horizontal. the figures at the end slipped through the space between the grille and the wall and edged into the night."  Richard said.  "Tonight. "  "What is it?"  Brother Fuliginous went down on one knee. "It's fine. "So you are. They could be found anywhere in the length and breadth of the sewers. Mister Croup. I like you.

 "Oh. "Jessica. and was covered in tufty ginger-colored hair. warily. If you pay them any attention.  There is a tiny noise in the waking world." said Mr. and the hurt. and she would be away. The angel had turned its attention back to Door. Hunter had snatched the spear. He was a bit of a connoisseur of skies. "Last one of these events we found someone had puked in a sarcophagus. "You always were a kidder. seize him." And then they turned a corner. he dove; his every movement made Varney appear lumbering and awkward by comparison.  The crowd was pressing closer now."  "Look. "Bloody hell. "Any sign of the marquis?"  "Not yet.

" she said. Croup slapped the handbill hard onto the wall. . would hire the two finest cutthroats in the whole of space and time. and the door slid open. or just daydreaming._  He threw up his hands: there was nothing there. The reflection was now merely candle flames and an angel of astonishing. Vandemar's eyes are brown; third.  The little gray man blinked shortsightedly at Richard as Richard grabbed him." He looked up at the bloody thing hanging above them. shivering. the marquis was cheerfully ignoring him. Ratty. They could wait." He wondered if she meant it. and he realized that he truly did not know.  "Are you all right?" asked Anaesthesia. He felt it go down and prepared himself to try to keep it from coming back up again."  Old Bailey shook his head. walked ahead of her.

 or desperate enough to dare. curry. looked over at Door. eh?" he said. and. "The Earl's Court train should be coming through here in about half an hour. then the last one. But that's the best you could hope for. true. for all the good that will do you."  A man in armor beat a small drum and chanted. "You ought to put that thing away. and then she relented. Sylvia." Mr. everything _younger_ than the world he knew." said Mr. nodding from time to time. He felt odd: detached. The little woman must have felt that she had got by far the better of the deal.  "We're not going to get very far if you keep repeating everything I say.

 and she turned away." said Anaesthesia. and flew off into the night. Croup. Croup. who counted himself among the sartorially dyslexic. squinting about him. . roughly a thousand years later. "Before Hunter agreed to work for you. but there had been so much to do and Richard had known that there was plenty of time. after looking at the files. Close your eyes. they were pumped into the Thames Estuary. heavy." he said."  "Mister Croup. and the rustling sound he had heard was made by a cowled figure in a black robe. "Thanks. a real angel. and--what do we know? We know that--" An interruption; he picked his nose.

" She reached up to touch the fabric of a suit of antique clothing. and freezing. between Tower Bridge and London Bridge. The door closed. like an old flying jacket. I'm a roof-man. where. "My family. although he had made a point of telling each of them that he liked to kill things. He had proved himself in the ordeal."  Islington gestured. Jess."  She went over to the bookshelf in the corner of the bedroom." The marquis took the paper--the train schedule--from Lear. seeing a photo of the sculpture in the _Sun.  "And I. The marquis tapped Angel Station with one long dark finger: Islington. First Portia would water a plant. Vandemar showed them his teeth. blinking at the cold daylight. It arrived at the platform.

 and she swallowed.  The marquis glanced at Door. we got to be sort of friends. watched the rime and the frost spread over Richard's skin. . smiled beatifically.  The people in the hall continued to bow." he called. cabbagey smell."  And the four of them walked away. "We don't need a bodyguard."  "How do you spell it?"  "D-o-o-r. he had decided in the future to leave political comment to others. Old Bailey." Richard stopped patting himself and pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his coat. "Fried eggs poached eggs pickled eggs curried venison pickled onions pickled herrings smoked herrings salted herrings mushroom stew salted bacon stuffed cabbage calves-foot jelly--"  Richard opened his. "You ought to put that thing away. for a change.  Old Bailey nodded. and pulled out a much-folded piece of brown paper. Reassured that he was alone.

  Richard trailed along behind her. Croup slapped it out of his hands. The property developers. whether horse-drawn. Then I got really sick. "Hello.  He was in his office.  "I thought it was just a legend. in both hands. "Lucifer?" it said. He reached out his good arm and cradled her head. "Is she dead?"  The woman shrugged." The guests applauded. "It's a way of speaking around something. and said something in a language Richard thought might have been Italian. They walked off the ship. "It's fine. It swerved past him and continued on its way. Mr. it wouldn't let me. as if in benediction.

"  "I thought that they hadn't spoken to each other for. and the hesitant rustling noises of a person in the same room he was in. Door put her head on one side. it was much easier not to believe in something when it was not actually looking directly at you and saying your name. The marquis pulled it out of reach. "The Earl's Court train should be coming through here in about half an hour.  "This is where you get off. as if it were a poor substitute for a real person. It was gone. after looking at the files. they go worse than anyone." she said. Old storm lanterns were hung about the tunnel. "There's only the penthouse suite."  Then he stood up. My first question: why are you protecting her?"  "Her father saved my life. a can. After we've been paid. A hiccup interrupted her. child." whispered Hunter.

 like a heartbeat. and they opened again and began bumping open and shut on the pike handle. Richard did not care. It was looking into a cellar." she said. trying to find the group of his office friends who had organized the trip. Mr." And then Door woke up completely.  "Kneel.  The marquis stared at Richard. War-hoi angels. I was living under an overpass in Notting Hill. Anaesthesia handed Richard her candle-lamp. then. standing just in front of him. and stared at him: a hundred eyes." He inspected his fingerless gloves: they were more hole than glove. The hinge was taller than Richard. managed to flag down the cab again before it made it into the main road and so got his briefcase back. or a huge black panther; and at the end of the stretch he was standing up. and stopped just beside Richard and Door.

 ." said Gary." said the marquis."  A moment passed. . although she looked a bit too young for that. and. "I swore ." said Door. why did some people think you were dead?"  The marquis looked at Richard with eyes that had seen too much and gone too far.  An oily voice from beside him said conversationally." muttered Richard. respectfully. the world began to resolve. and the contents of the coat pockets. I'm wandering around with a girl called Door. He could hear nothing but. Then he confided. really. It was extremely familiar. They stared at each other.

 "  "Can you speed it up?" asked the marquis. "I swore that . "Richard? What are you doing?"  "She isn't drunk. "and saw Jessica and saw a real angel and got a little black pig and came back here. and he kept them shut. " and she paused.  The security guards were directing the museum's guests to a hallway that seemed to be functioning as some kind of holding area. in a hoarse whisper. hanging onto the side of the wall until your hands freeze and your legs buckle and you tumble to a messy death a thousand feet below. "It's a way of speaking around something. The girl leaned over the sink. A hand caught the crumpled paper in midair. He could taste winter in the air. and he had cared for her.  Mr." said Gary reassuringly."  "You aren't me. these days?" He shook his head. cutting Gary off." she explained. no.

 Vandemar were standing on plinths on each side of the aisle down which they walked._ sharp on one side. when he had caught up. then. and touched Richard's arm. Halfway across space and time." It was intended to keep unwary passengers from stepping into the space between the train and the platform. "Hello?" called Richard. The candles extinguished themselves behind them.  The rat stepped--a little disdainfully. everything you say. he thought about London Above. Messire Marquis. The earl was sitting on the floor with his legs splayed. turned and waved with an elaborate flourish. until she found the note that made the walls and the pipes and the room reverberate. still. sir. Vandemar fashioned the rings he wears on his right hand out of the skulls of four ravens. Vandemar walked behind her. distrustfully.

  The girl called Door passed the paper to Richard.  "And you?" Richard asked the marquis de Carabas. Richard Mayhew began to cry. she does not wait. "What is happening?" he asked. her mouth open. "A change? Well. and he could talk no longer. cast in brass and in bronze and in burnt caramel. like a particularly pompous weasel on its way to raid the henhouse. Why did you kill Door's family?"  "Orders from our employer.  Impressive as the market had been to watch. "It was very nice knowing you. removed them. showing his teeth. It was--what? Mormons? Jehovah's Witnesses? The police? He couldn't tell." said Door. moving humanity. though. I'm . See?" said Door.

 and Mr. "Where's my desk?"  "This way. _  At the end of the labyrinth was a sheer granite cliff. "The marquis. Richard groaned. honestly. a dozen serving staff. Safe and. And . He's meeting us in the library. "She's hurt. and--and throw in the magic can-opener and the amazing whistling corkscrew. eventually. "Security arrangements. He closed the box. Richard did not care. Some poorly cured fur had been tied around the bottom half of it to form an improvised grip. licked the powdered clay from his fingertip. jutted sadly from the corners of the tower. A hint of a smile played at the corner of Hunter's perfect lips." lied Clarence.

 occasionally. ." said Gary. a home. "Door? Are you all right?"  "More or less. . And you have. "How will I know if I do?"  "You'll know. "Pipe your beady eyes on this. . as the line moved slowly toward the single open glass door at the museum's main entrance. They were in a large anteroom. "I'm sorry.  The marquis de Carabas snorted. with a blinding smile. Door ignored the guards entirely and set off into the museum halls with Richard trailing along behind her. shivering. each time. in an ironic bow.  "So._ and it was changing him.

 The way she had paused. It is us. singing the lyrics of "Greensleeves" to the tune of "Yakkety-Yak"-- watching the bizarre bazaar unfold around him. He was standing in a huge. It was like a dream. it wasn't there. Door had no idea where any of the rooms of her house were. "I know." and with sanity beginning to assert itself." said Mr.  The thin girl was gulping down one of Richard's bananas in what was. He gripped his spear . Jessica was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. black-painted railings. Your Grace?" she asked. "The ones who matter know. and severed heads as big as hills. "I don't know how you could even bring yourself to think such a thing." She reached up to touch the fabric of a suit of antique clothing. Croup." He put it down by his feet on the stones of London Wall.

 and swallowed. Door shook her head and swallowed a mouthful of hastily chewed chicken leg. like the only sane person in a madhouse." said de Carabas. It was like a dream. His mother died very slowly after that. Gary was talking about taxis. Croup picked at his tombstone teeth. for kippered herrings. She motioned Richard to come through. and in the process lost all my personal possessions. and turned his head away from the glare. and Richard trailed in her wake. It was cold to the touch. I was deeply saddened by his death. It was not a place for living anymore. as if it were being inserted in an imaginary door. It stared about it sleepily. They climbed in total darkness. my mother had me an' my sisters.  She had put on the brown leather jacket she had been wearing when he had found her.