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The brandy had brought a flush to the girl's cheeks, but her face was as vacant and bewildered as before, or nearly so "I don't know," she whispered

Agia asked, "You don't re here?"

Dorcas shook her head

"Then what's the last thing you do re silence The wind see harder than ever, and despite the drink, I wasby aThere were pretty things in theTrays and boxes, and a rood"

The big s? Well, if you was there, I'ia said "Either so care of her and she's wandered away, or no one is taking care of her, which seems more likely from the state of her clothes, and she wandered in here when the curators weren't looking"

"It s, and threw her in here thinking she was gone There's more ways in, Mistress Slops, than the curator knows of Or ht her in to be sunk when she was only sick and sleepin' In a com'er, as they call it, and the water woke her up"

"Surely whoever brought her in would have seen her"

"They can stay under a long time in a com'er, so I've heard But whichever way it was, it don't much matter now Here she is, and it's up to her, I should say, to find out where she come from and who she is"

I had dropped the brown uild cloak dry; but I looked up when Agia said, "You've been asking all of us e are Who are you?"

"You've every right to know," the big ive you better bona fides than any of you have given me Only after I does so, Iarood man would But I've my own affairs to take care of, the same as the next"

With that he pulled off his tall hat, and reaching inside produced a greasy card about twice the size of the calling cards I had occasionally seen in the Citadel He handed it to Agia, and I peered over her shoulder In florid script, the legend read:

HILDEGRIN THE BADGER

Excavations of all kinds, by a single digger or 20 score Stone is not too hard nor n of the BLIND SHOVEL Or inquire at the Alticamelus around the corner on Velleity

"And that's who I a sieur - which I hope you won't er than er than what she is, for all you was probably born only a couple years sooner And I'll be on my way"

I stopped him "Before I fell in, I met an old man in a skiff who told me there was someone farther down the track who could ferry us across the lake I think you must be the man he referred to Will you take us?"

"Ah, the one what's lookin' for his wife, poor soul Well, he's been a good friend to me many a time, so if he recommends you, I suppose I'd better do it My scoill hold four in a pinch"

He strode offfor us to follow; I noticed that his boots, which seee even deeper thanwith us" Still it was obvious that she (Dorcas) was, trailing along behind Agia and looking so forlorn that I dropped behind to try to comfort her

"I'd lend you my mantle," I whispered to her, "if it weren't so wet it wouldthis track the other way, you'll coether and into a corridor where it's warle Garden on it, that will let you into a place where the sun is warm and you'll be quite comfortable"

I had no sooner spoken than I rele Fortunately, perhaps, Dorcas showed no sign of having heard what I said Soia, or at least aware, in a helpless way, of having displeased her; but there was no other indication she was any s than a somnambulist

Conscious that I had failed to relieve her ain "There's a man in the corridor, a curator I'm sure he'll at least try to find some clothes and a fire for you"

The hipped Agia's chestnut hair as she looked back at us "There are too irls for anyone to be worried about one, Severian Including yourself"

At the sound of Agia's voice, Hildegrin glanced over his shoulder "I knooive her soh-bred shape under thathere, anyway?" Agia snapped, "You contract laborers, according to your card, but what's your business here?"

"Just what you said, Mistress My business"

Dorcas had begun to shiver "Honestly," I told her, "all you have to do is go back It's le Garden You o into the Sand Garden, it's sunny and dry in there"

So in what I had said seemed to touch a chord in her "Yes," she whispered "Yes"

"The Sand Garden? You'd like that?"

Very softly: "Sun"