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'Get hiua

'I reckon he's beyond our coffee,' said Colon 'Nobby, nip along to Fat Sally's in Squeezebelly Alley and get a jug of their special Klatchian stuff Not a , mind'

Vimes blinked as they o 'way,' he said 'Bang! Bang!'

'Lady Sybil's going to be really mad,' said Nobby 'You know he promised to leave it alone'

'Captain Vimes?' said Carrot

'M up?'

'Mm?'

'How many hands, then?'

'Fo'?'

'Blimey, I haven't seen him like this for years,' said Colon 'Here, letWant another drink, captain?'

'He certainly doesn't need a--'

'Shut up, I knohat I' Another drink, Captain Vimes?'

'Mive a loud clear "yes!",' said Colon, standing back 'I think we'd better get him up to his room'

'I'll take hi him over his shoulder

'I hate to see hi him into the hallway and up the stairs

'He only drinks when he gets depressed,' said Carrot

'Why does he get depressed?'

'Sometimes it's because he hasn't had a drink'

The house in Pseudopolis Yard had originally been a Ramkin fauards on an ad hoc basis Carrot had a roo out when the floor became hard to find And Vimes had a room

More or less It was hard to tell Even a prisoner in a cell ua had never seen such an unlived-in roorief'

'What did you expect?'

'I don't know Anything So'

There was a joyless iron bedstead The springs and ed so that they forot into it to instantly fold into a sleeping position There was a washstand, under a broken ned towards the Hub because Vimes shared the folk belief that this kept it sharp There was a broooden chair with the cane seat broken And a small chest at the foot of the bed

And that was all

'I ua 'A picture on the wall So'

Carrot deposited Vimes on the bed, where he flowed unconsciously into the shape

'Haven't you got soot a cutaway diagra strata I helped cut it And sos Captain Vimes isn't really an indoors kind of person'

'But there's not even a candle!'

'He finds his way to bed by '

'There's a sheet of cardboard under the bed,' Carrot volunteered 'I reree Street when he found it He said "There's a e" He was very pleased about that'

'He can't even afford boots?'

'I don't think so I know Lady Sybil offered to buy hiot a bit offended about that He seems to try to et less than him And you send money home He must drink it all, the idiot'

'Don't think so I didn't think he'd touched the stuff for ars'

Vimes snored loudly

'How can you adua

'He's a very fine ua raised the lid of the wooden chest with her foot

'Hey, I don't think you should do that--' said Carrot wretchedly

'I'ainst that'

'In fact, under the Privacy Act of 1467, it is an--'

'There's only old boots and stuff And some paper' She reached down and picked up a crudely ular shaped bits of paper sandwiched together between card covers

'That belongs to Captain--'

She opened the book and read a few lines Her mouth dropped open

'Will you look at this? No wonder he never has any money!'

'What d'you mean?'

'He spends it on women! You wouldn't think it, would you? Look at this entry Four in one week!'

Carrot looked over her shoulder On the bed, Vie, in Vi, were the words:

Mrs Gafkin, Mincing St: 5

Mrs Scurrick, Treacle St: 4

Mrs Maroon, Wixon's Alley: 4

Annabel Curry, Lobfneaks: 2

Annabel Curry couldn't have been ua

She are of a sudden drop in temperature

'I shouldn't think so,' said Carrot, slowly 'She's only nine years old'

One of his hands gripped her wrist tightly and the other prised the book out of her fingers

'Hey, let go!'

'Sergeant!' shouted Carrot, over his shoulder, 'can you coua tried to pull away Carrot's arm was as immovable as an iron bar

There was the creak of Colon's foot on the stair, and the door swung open

He was holding a very sot the coff--' he began, and stopped

'Sergeant,' said Carrot, staring into Angua's face, 'Lance-Constable Angua wants to know about Mrs Gaskin'

'Old Leggy Gaskin's ? She lives in Mincing Street'

'And Mrs Scurrick?'

'In Treacle Street? Takes in laundry now' Sergeant Colon looked froet a handle on the situation