asked Old Bailey. . "Stop that. .

 "You did it
 "You did it. And another. "None of your beak." she prayed. some water. the figures at the end slipped through the space between the grille and the wall and edged into the night. Door was sitting on the edge of her bed. "  "No. . carved out of rock. I'm Gary Perunu. On the rooftops. "The main gate. without a word. Richard Mayhew. Richard can take the middle. "Now. . and. and presented Richard with a black vinyl zip-up sports bag. He opened the door and went in. of an ox. Richard. He walked through the showers and the toilets. "Oh. He had never seen that expression on her face before.

 She smiled at him. and turned up the current as high as it would go. She says she can take us anywhere in the Underside."  "Why .  "And fast. killing you. "What about _plain_ mineral water? Bubbles aren't everybody's cup of tea. Then he nodded his head. simply. and spat. if it isn't a personal question." it said. and the cart went _squee. and the streetlights now glimmered on the wet tarmac. utterly irritating."  It was coming toward them so slowly.  It was foolish to even think about bringing him with them. from time to time. a lonely mausoleum of a place. he rang the doorbell. built ramshackle houses one leaning against the next. looked around. It was like all his dreams. Then he would call in the appropriate authorities. My clothes ."_ He made a noise then--the _cuck-koo cuck-koo_ that a cuckoo might make.

 then. "Please. I'm not crazy.  "Knightsbridge. _Yes. stumbling and falling. and staggered around the beast. ."  Door stuck her tongue out at her bodyguard. "Don't forget the shoeses and the gloveses!"  The advertisements on the walls were for refreshing and health-giving malted drinks." She pressed her fingers against a seriously locked glass door. the young man who rescued our wounded Door. who was not much good at lying when faced with a direct question. so could he. he thought. he told them they had to get me here. and which was which. Richard did not look up. letting in lamplight from the hall outside. miracle of miracles. All you have to do is let it do what it wants. "You could have warned me."  "No." said Islington. Mister Croup.  "As old as my tongue.

 and the cold of her tongue. "It was okay. and in waking he found that he was Richard Mayhew.  Old Bailey reached into his pocket and pulled out the black rat. "That's all. "Are you going to kill me?" Richard asked. His saxophone hung limply. With the Black Friars who live under London. Croup and Mr." She looked into his eyes. leaned forward. and to this end. Mr." He picked his nose. slammed it into the woman's face--or would have. of brass and glass. Gary was talking about taxis. He could hear himself screaming. "A reply. please. dully. He had long hair. "I'm a Velvet. "To business. Mister Vandemar. "I think a moment's reflection might prove that we're all being very silly.

 the big white buggers? They're down there. They were standing together in the ballroom. Vandemar. "I."  "Really?" He hated himself for rising to the bait. and crying like a little girl. Jess is fine. Door walked in the middle.  "You get to the street through the house?" asked Richard. made the kind of "hmmm" noise that means. the piece of string. In the bathroom.  The marquis de Carabas opened his eyes and yawned. "No no. back through the Hall.  "You're Jessica Bartram. and said. down an old iron staircase. . Middle Eastern angels. they go worse than anyone. with hands the size of oak trees. The table was piled high with evil-smelling foodstuffs. that the man could see them--and also that he was doing his best to pretend that he couldn't. He made his way west toward Tower Hill Station and stopped a little before the station. "People.

 When Richard had asked Door. May they each get what they deserve. staring up at him with wary bead-black eyes. my partner and I become restive and. Richard ran with her. . puzzled. "Can't you tell how ridiculous all this sounds?" Jessica looked as if she were trying not to cry."  "We'll start in the study. His shirtfront was covered with dried blood and with dirt." said Mr. And then. helpfully. It was a proper one. "I only wondered.  "You are honestly telling me you had to promise them an extra fifty pounds for our table tonight? You are an idiot. and all the lights went out. as of course I unfailingly do."  "Market?" asked Richard. beneath a large gun tower. Honestly.  "Never you fear. Richard Mayhew?"  "Nothing. Lamia strode confidently ahead of them.  The marquis took in the room. Vandemar's back.

 distorted. he felt increasingly guilty about not unpacking them. Vandemar put a little pressure on the knife. and fall." Richard looked down. and also its prison. Richard hated clifftops."  "You weren't part of the Underside before." She nodded to them. breathless and sweating. He tried to blink. honestly. The smoke-tentacle let go of Richard's ankle and slid back over the edge of the platform." she said. I am Mister Croup. Richard?" she asked. Mister Vandemar."  Richard shook his head. like the teeniest lump of raw liver sticking to the inside of my boot. He crumpled the paper into a tight ball. "Junk!" she continued. to the poorhouse. consists chiefly of waiting. His eyes flickered from the statue to Old Bailey." said Clarence. pushed down the antenna.

 he announced: "It's the Great Beast of London." he said. It sounded like a piece of blackboard being dragged over the nails of a wall of severed fingers. There's a girl called Door . "So. and then looked back down at the buses and the shops.  And it came to him then. advised him to keep it a secret and not disclose it to anyone. and the marquis's corpse tumbled out and splashed into the brown water below them. He told Richard that if he. turned to Hunter. "What's this?" she said. in disbelief. They glanced at him and then."  The deep tunnels had been dug in the 1920s. She's still alive . . who commenced to go through the pockets. And then she smiled. and it had been roughly carved out of black obsidian.  "Leave us alone. painted bright green. a captain querying his general. "Name your price. proudly. .

 What can you tell me about this?"  Old Bailey pulled on his glasses. Hunter." said Door. _the padlock wants to open. marvelling. 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. and a finger prodded him gently in the ribs. they flickered into flame. due to what Gary persisted in describing as a slight misunderstanding (he had thought she would be rather more understanding about his sleeping with her best friend than she had in fact turned out to be). but never with any real hope that they would stop. "And you left her alone?" he asked. "We told you one of you was a traitor.  The morning-star plunged toward Mr. once we've made it homey. "So I'll never find out what's in it. like all Londoners. stood up in one fluid motion."  Hunter had been watching this conversation. " Richard's throat didn't work. five feet to his left. just make them stop . I've been running and hiding and running so hard that . and then she relented." she said." he said. "It'll come back to me.

 and. and the little red light began to flash. with his free hand." repeated Mr. "we could just cut ourselves."  "I should have had that cherry cake.  "Croup and. "That'd be worth more than just a train schedule. maybe. "I could smell her. Croup expanded on his theme. and chained the manacles securely to the pillars beside Richard. of course. An entire ecology had evolved around the ornamental fountain in the center of the well." he said. . Richard could smell food. And there was the place by the window.  "They'll probably have us sitting by the kitchen.  Richard heard a high-pitched voice giggling. the men. had taken a handkerchief from his pocket."  "Okay."  "It's safe.  "Pity. et cetera .

 and began to walk down the street. each time. He looked less boyish. eh? Put the spear down and step back. Croup. two-part telephone." he said. "So. Meeting girls." he unfolded his arms. look at me. he thought; he would soon be twenty-three."  "Don't worry. My debt to Lord Portico has been paid in full. Something glittered on the boggy surface. wicked and sharp and perfectly weighted. and. The friars stood on the bridge until they were out of sight. very quietly. low and dirtily. but that was the only thing about it in which he could take any comfort. Now she said." he said. and then stepped out onto a narrow ledge. Yes. "No.

  Richard was handed a bar of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut chocolate and a large silver goblet. He was covered in tattoos and dressed in clothes that looked like they had been stitched together from old car seats and rubber mats. It was like walking through history. too. Passersby stared at him with revulsion. He was not entirely sure what happened after that: only that the world swung out from under him. Croup. So he pushed the shopping cart with the body of the marquis de Carabas in it through the storm drain. He used to hurt me.  "And meat hooks. She was covered with a ripped old blanket. "Morning Mister Mayhew." said one of the guards. "Cities sink every day. the shape resolved into objects. You don't have to explain it anymore. "It's a puzzle-box. "Mm.  In her dream.  "Safety in numbers. as if it had heard neither of them. it was gone forever. but for Olympia. She was looking paler than usual."  The Lord Rat-speaker nodded. yes _this_ flame was hot.

 The portal itself had long since rusted and crumbled away. more or less.  "Where's the next Floating Market?" asked Door. and the child fled." muttered the marquis. "It's a long story. he thought once. "Hand of Glory. Music was playing--a dozen different kinds of music.  "Look. Then. and experiencing a strange mental and physical turmoil: feelings of defeat and betrayal roiled within him. someone." said Mr. The Angel Islington stood up and returned to its inner chambers to await its eventual visitors."  Hammersmith enveloped Richard's hand in one several sizes up. Richard. as they pushed through the crowds. They put their bugles to their lips and performed a ragged. I hope? Fine man. If we aren't going in." He felt the wood of the plank pressing against his face.  A gruff voice some distance away shouted. in the silence. conveying the bliss with which the marquis's remains had entered their life. It had been bothering him for a while.

 For the fellowship there has ever been between your family and mine." she said. I thought you understood. . Bob Geldof.  The bloody water reminded him of something. and he knew that they were still friends." said the leather woman. " said the man. proudly." said Mr.  "Thanks." he said to the old lady. Or disagree with him--he doesn't like to be disagreed with. looking at none of them. "He's got to be taken to the market. Now you want her to open a door for you so you can single-handedly invade Heaven? You're not much of a judge of character. which left him almost blinded: a ghostly series of orange-green splotches that slowly faded. impassively. ." and. the figures at the end slipped through the space between the grille and the wall and edged into the night. and Richard was forced to run down the platform. There were old. and a life that made sense. Richard could hear breathing.

 "There we go. "The hooker. Vandemar held the centipede's head delicately between a huge thumb and a massive forefinger to stop it wriggling. Dead autumn leaves blew across an open court. rewrote it in huge letters in red ink._  And kept walking. "On Friday. 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. Door would not meet his eyes. giggling helplessly. was real. and the Highest-Paid Call Girl in the South of England. with the black dress and the foxglove eyes. It was." she said. of people who worked in the day and went home to somewhere else at night. like. and some were female. . Someone sat down next to him. Croup and Vandemar were standing on each side of him. "Are you . He was suddenly. The Beast had come out of the darkness. A rook cawed maliciously. hard.

 raised them. black. _the padlock wants to open. in disbelief. there was another click. . Nothing happened.  "Yeah. absorbing all of them. tail and legs and arms and fingers and eyes and hair all tumbling and twisting powerfully and strangely into the underneath and out across forever.  The sound of the black door slamming closed filled his whole world." said the abbot. and it framed her face perfectly in corkscrews of chestnut curls." and then he stepped out through a low door. from Earl's Court; although he could no longer recall. "The key is the key to all reality. million years ago; Richard shook his head. television station. resting it against the wall. and she was guiding me somewhere. The marshland stank. intrinsically." It ran its fingers down her neck. and. Mister Vandemar. who smiled like a skull.

 "We're fine for champagne? Yes?" The head waiter pointed to the crate of champagne beneath the table." said Serpentine.  She nodded. "We need your father's journal. Door.  "You didn't have to do that."_ He pried the knife free from her fingers. "How is your father. and in the throes of extreme passion you have a tendency to hum the Monkees song 'I'm a Believer' . . Nothing happened. The smoke-tentacle let go of Richard's ankle and slid back over the edge of the platform. In fact.  Lord Rat-speaker bowed so low that his long hair brushed the ground. It was not a very convincing smile. and he hawked. It was a small black statuette depicting some kind of animal. who had been somewhat subdued. and he realized that he truly did not know. Vandemar's voice was a night wind blowing over a desert of bones. She was worried. It had no stairs at the back of it that he could see.  "I had a little wine once." said Richard. face down.  Richard sat on his couch.

 gripping the spear so tightly that it hurt his hands. warmly. dented and scraped. A thought struck Richard. and the world. Don't set it free. from pictures he had seen. Other men ran to him. in agony." They were walking north." Her voice sounded almost detached." he told her. standing just in front of him. smaller than a cigar box. Stockton liked making people uncomfortable. Vandemar. he bounced. Vandemar's voice was saying." he said. a half-empty bottle of shampoo."  "Well. . and wrapped his arms about himself. a puzzled expression on his face. Through the glass in the doors. puncturing his heel.

"  Richard opened his mouth. Hunter took Richard by the scruff of the neck and pulled him toward the back wall. It all happened very slowly. Elderly snores. "Well. As he got closer."  Richard edged over. The largest of them. _I'm hungry. . as well as he could shrug from a supine position. Then he made a point of noticing the marquis's body. Vandemar." Her voice was weak. and the Lady Door owes me a significant favor. It was cold to the touch. not to mention the wandering lumps of congealed toothpaste on the bathroom sink: no. Which were starting to seem. "You're my bodyguard.  The photograph had a yellow Post-it note stuck to it.   . "we had wine. not drinking. . "Hurt him?" he asked his partner. tumbled to the earth.

 dice."  "I only hope that I can be worthy of that trust. an oaken double door set in the rock face. taken by the night ." he sang. "She has taken note of your concern . my son.  "Croup and. Mr. impatiently. Ruislip drew one long. "Just count yourself lucky that I was coming back this way. "I'm so cold. half-buried in the mud. you old rascal. "Quite remarkable." said Door. a tiny. but it would fail to give the full picture. were tongs. with charm. silhouetted in the white entrance chamber filled with pictures of rooms. He towered over her. resting it against the wall. sir. The marquis knows.

  A light was kindled and flickered.  "Richard. white against the blackness of the door." said Clarence. Perhaps there was nothing she could trust herself to say. couples in smart clothes were climbing out. He could hear the rattling of a train. so bright as to be startling. staring at the light. "You can hear me. were you?"  "Me?"  She grinned."  Richard and Door followed the angel through the caverns." he said. blithe. urging him further in. _Above what?_ he wondered. her foot knocked the purple-haired troll down into the darkness. sadly." he said. Hunter. "I have your friends. "I'll be safe now." said Serpentine. . and the sewage works.  There was a shiver in the world.

 so the birds could get their beauty sleep. "Wanna fuck _you_ ."  "You honor us. as sedate. Croup beamed." More gray pigeons strutted over to peck at the fragments of bread and shrimp. Sometimes he would wave at taxis. he allowed himself to relax." she said to her youngest daughter." she said." said Mr.  They walked back through the store the way that Richard had come. It was an evil thing to think. "He didn't. He tried to stand. that wants you dead." she said."  "Not bad. What station is this?" he asked. He came out onto the street at a run at ten to nine. already. her husband's gruff whisper of "Just his marbles. peculiarly like going to a movie with a girl as a teenager. very quietly. did not look at him again. "You know what you're doing.

 and lifted her down."  The girl nodded. He put his coat on as well. "Her friends are my friends." Hunter looked down. and it welled up like silk under water. noble fellow. gently. serrated on the other; there were faces carved into the side of the haft."  The marquis walked to the edge of the roof. She settled herself on his sofa and opened the book. "I suppose you could call them men. "Why yes. Her fingers explored the surface of the box. playing the pennywhistle. "and a little older than my teeth.  Richard saw the Beast come out from the darkness. a plastic nodding-head Alsatian. cudgels. they say that back in first King Charlie's day--him 'as got his head all chopped off. They reached another door set in a wall. are auditioning bodyguards. and the sewage works. at the corner of his vision; he followed it with his head." he said. a couple of security guards beside him.

 . . as Mr." he said. as she liked to explain. and replacing the stinking mudflats that had festered along the banks of the Thames for the previous five hundred years. They don't go to a special London.  Door giggled. Serpentine knelt in the wet mire and ran one finger down Hunter's cold cheek. He had his own window. and Richard could no longer remember how to talk. She was living with this man._ "This way. and it hit Richard's face like a slap. No one. "Right. Look. was he?"_  _"This is quicker. Their footsteps echoed and reverberated down the metal stairs. in a dangerous trollish voice. Remember me?" He thrust out his hand.  "Thank you!" said Door." pointed out Richard. on Tube trains. half-dressed. What if they sweated so much that he simply slipped off into the void .

 . Old Bailey. where he was forced to reconcile these two universes. Croup expanded on his theme. Do you understand?"  "Yes. "Of course it was a rat. and set in the cliff were high wooden double doors. "Oh. "  "Good. There were dark circles beneath Richard's eyes. Old Bailey lowered his toasting fork. Or Stockton. So he said nothing.  Door glanced up at him. perhaps. covering the drainage system and the newly created District Line of the Underground." And then he went into his bedroom and changed his clothes. the feeling grows in urgency and weight. desperately. puzzled. with metal rungs set in the side of one wall. The train had stopped."  Door ignored him. "Are you ready to take it back? It fair gives me the creepy shivers. and stopped. The Angel Islington looked out at them.

 You must believe in Islington . containing an aggressively emerald-colored liquid. Vandemar. He was not heading back to his lair in the Camden Town deep tunnels. more to the point. It was the size of an ox. up several flights of back stairs. displaying the thirty most interesting results of his depredations in glass cases. Police. stretching from Aldgate in the east to Fleet Street and the law courts of the Old Bailey in the west. Yes. dustily." she said. then?" He looked up. "Here. I thought you understood.  Mr. raised them. to convince itself it was here.  "Oh. with one decisive motion. The door they had just come through was the door to the broom closet in the stairwell of his apartment building.  "What's it like then?" asked Old Bailey. . "Stop that. .