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Eventually a sufficient suathered, and Dr Talos vaulted back into his place and deftly reaffixed the fastenings that seemed to hold him in an embrace of spikes Baldanders roared and stretched forth his long ar the audience to observe that a second chain, unnoticed previously, still constrained him "See him," Dr Talos prompted me sotto voce

"Hold him off with one of the flambeaux"

I pretended to discover for the first time that Baldanders's arms were free, and plucked one of the torches froe At once both torches guttered; the flames, which had been of clear yellow above scarlet, now burned blue and pale green, spitting sparks and sputtering, doubling and tripling in size with a fearful hiss, only to sink at once as if on the point of going out I thrust the one I had uprooted at Baldanders, shouting, "No! No! Back! Back!" pro more furiously than ever He strained at the chain in a way that made the scenery wall to which he was bound creak and snap, and his an quite literally to foa froe chin and fleck his rusty black clothes as though with snow Someone in the audience screa of a drover's whip By this tiiant's face was hideous in its madness, and I would no more have attempted to stand in his way than to stop an avalanche; but before I could move a step to escape him, he had wrested the torch froot my head up in time to see him jerk the other torch fro of uild were exercising a hundred clients together I pulled myself up and was about to seize Dorcas and dash for the cover of the copse when I saw Dr Talos He seeood hus, he was taking his ti herself free as well, and if there were any expression at all on that perfect face, it was one of relief

"Very well!" Dr Talos exclaimed "Very well indeed You may come back now, Baldanders Don't leave us in the dark" To me: "Did you enjoy your inner acting without rehearsal, you played nicely enough"

I ed to nod

"Except when Baldanders knocked you down You h to drop Come with me now Baldanders has his talents, but a fine eye for hts backstage, and you and Innocence shall help us pick up"

I did not understand what he meant, but in a fewthrough the traa proposition," Dr Talos explained "And I confess to loving the - by the close of the first act I can predict to an orichalk how much it will be But the dropsies! They may be no ination can enco Delicious, so Baldanders told me when he ate it We have found a baby, baby We have found a gold-headed stick, and I retain it Antique brooches ShoesWe frequently find shoes of all kinds Just now I have found a wo to keep the sun fro tohtened up as people do who are straining not to stoop Above the waist her creamy amplitude was such that her spine ht "If we're going to an inn tonight, I'd like to go now," she said "I'm very tired, Doctor"

I was exhausted ht? A criminal waste of funds Look at it this way, ue away at the very least, and it would take Baldanders and me a watch to pack the scenery and properties, even with the help of this friendly Angel of Torment By the time we reached the inn at that rate the horizon would be under the sun, the cocks would be crowing, and like as not a thousand fools would be rising, banging their doors and throwing their slops"

Baldanders grunted (I thought in confirmation), then struck with his boot as if at sorass

Dr Talos threide his arms to embrace the universe "While here, my dear, beneath stars that are the personal and cherished property of the Increate, we have all anyone could wish for the h in the air tonight to s and the heat of the fire, and not a hint of rain Here ill ca, and from here alk renewed in the joyful hours when the day is young"

I said, "Youabout breakfast Is there any food now? Dorcas and I are hungry"

"Of course there is I see Baldanders has just picked up a basket of yams"

Several members of our erstwhile audiencefrom a market hatever produce they had been unable to sell Besides the yams we had, eventually, a pair of squabs and several stalks of young sugar cane There was not , but there was so he would sit up and watch the fire, and perhaps nap, later, in the chair that had been the Autarch's throne and the Inquisitor's bench a short time before

Chapter 33

FIVE LEGS