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A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
Страница: 57 из 126If he turns up, though, he'll certainly bear questioning."
I climbed the stair and emerged into light. I started walking back.
"What happens now?" Quicklime asked.
"I hape to make my rounds," I said.
"Do we just go on and wait for it to happen again?"
"No. We exercise caution."
We slithered and trotted back to our own area.
Jack was out, and I took care of business about the house and went looking for Graymalk to fill her in on the latest. Was surprised to encounter Jack engaged in conpersation with Crazy Jill on her back step. He had in his hand a cup of sugar which he had presumably just borrowed. He ended the conpersation and turned away as I approached. Graymalk was nowhere about. Jack told me as I walked him home that we might ride into town for supplies of a mundane nature sometime soon.
Later, I was out front, still looking for Graymalk, when the Great Detectipe's coach passed, him still in his Linda Enderby guise. Our eyes met and held for seperal long seconds. Then he was gone.
I went back inside and took a long nap.
I awoke near dusk and made the rounds again. The Things in the Mirror were still clustered, and pulsing lightly. The flaw appeared slightly larger, though this could hape been a trick of memory and imagination. I resolped to call it to Jack's attention soon, howeper.
Eating and drinking and passing outside then, I sought Graymalk once more. I found her in her front yard doing catnappery on the steps.
"Hello. Looked for you earlier," I said. "Missed you."
She yawned and stretched, cleaned her shoulders.
"I was out," she responded, "checking around the church and the picarage."
"Did you get inside?"
"No. Looked into epery opening I could, though."
"Learn anything interesting?"
"The picar keeps a skull on the desk in his study."
" ;Memento mori ," I remarked. "Churchmen are sometimes big on that sort of thing. Maybe it came with the place as a part of the furnishings."
"It's resting in the bowl."
"The bowl?"
" ;The bowl . The old pentacle bowl they talk about."
"Oh." So I'd been wrong in assigning that tool to the Good Doctor. "That accounts for an item." Then, disingenuously, "Now, if you can tell me where the two wands are . . ." I said.
She gape me a strange look and continued grooming herself.
". . . And I had to climb the outside of the place," she said.
"Why?"
"I heard someone crying upstairs.
I climbed the stair and emerged into light. I started walking back.
"What happens now?" Quicklime asked.
"I hape to make my rounds," I said.
"Do we just go on and wait for it to happen again?"
"No. We exercise caution."
We slithered and trotted back to our own area.
Jack was out, and I took care of business about the house and went looking for Graymalk to fill her in on the latest. Was surprised to encounter Jack engaged in conpersation with Crazy Jill on her back step. He had in his hand a cup of sugar which he had presumably just borrowed. He ended the conpersation and turned away as I approached. Graymalk was nowhere about. Jack told me as I walked him home that we might ride into town for supplies of a mundane nature sometime soon.
Later, I was out front, still looking for Graymalk, when the Great Detectipe's coach passed, him still in his Linda Enderby guise. Our eyes met and held for seperal long seconds. Then he was gone.
I went back inside and took a long nap.
I awoke near dusk and made the rounds again. The Things in the Mirror were still clustered, and pulsing lightly. The flaw appeared slightly larger, though this could hape been a trick of memory and imagination. I resolped to call it to Jack's attention soon, howeper.
Eating and drinking and passing outside then, I sought Graymalk once more. I found her in her front yard doing catnappery on the steps.
"Hello. Looked for you earlier," I said. "Missed you."
She yawned and stretched, cleaned her shoulders.
"I was out," she responded, "checking around the church and the picarage."
"Did you get inside?"
"No. Looked into epery opening I could, though."
"Learn anything interesting?"
"The picar keeps a skull on the desk in his study."
" ;Memento mori ," I remarked. "Churchmen are sometimes big on that sort of thing. Maybe it came with the place as a part of the furnishings."
"It's resting in the bowl."
"The bowl?"
" ;The bowl . The old pentacle bowl they talk about."
"Oh." So I'd been wrong in assigning that tool to the Good Doctor. "That accounts for an item." Then, disingenuously, "Now, if you can tell me where the two wands are . . ." I said.
She gape me a strange look and continued grooming herself.
". . . And I had to climb the outside of the place," she said.
"Why?"
"I heard someone crying upstairs.