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Now Jonas and I were settled over a s platter and a bottle of wine, the door was shut and bolted, and the innkeeper had been instructed to deny that I was in his establishment I would have been completely at ease if the wine in my cup had not recalled to me so vividly the ht before, after I had exa me, I think, as I stared at the pale red fluid, poured a cup of his own and said, "You must remember that you are not responsible for the sentences If you had not come here, they would have been punished eventually anyway, and probably would have suffered worse in less skilled hands"

I asked hi about

"I can see it troubles youwhat happened today"

"I thought it ell," I said

"You knohat the octopus reot out of theyour skill - quite the opposite But you look as if you could use a little cheering up'"

"We're always a little despondent afterward That's what Master Palaemon always said, and I've found it true in ical function, and at the time that seeht Could you see what happened, or did they keep you too busy?"

"I was standing on the steps behind you ood view then, so youproceeded smoothly after we decided not to wait for the chair I exercised my skills to applause, and I was the focus of ad of lassitude afterward Master Palaemon used to talk of crowd melancholy and court melancholy, and said that some of us have both, some have neither, and some have one but not the other Well, I have crowd melancholy; I don't suppose I'll ever have the chance, in Thrax, of discovering whether I also have court melancholy or not"

"And what is that?" Jonas was looking down into his wine cup

"A torturer, let's say a ht into contact with exultants of the highest degree Suppose there's soht to possess i is likely to be delegated to attend such a prisoner's examination Very often he will have had little experience with the more delicate operations, so he will ask the master questions and perhaps confide in hi the subject's temperament or health A torturer under those circus - "

"Then feels let dohen it's over with Yes, I suppose I can see that"

"Have you ever seen one of these affairs when it was badly botched?"

"No Aren't you going to eat any of this meat?"

"Neither have I, but I've heard about them, and that's why I was tense Times when the client has broken away and fled into the crowd Times when several strokes were needed to part the neck Times when a torturer lost all confidence and was unable to proceed When I vaulted onto that scaffold, I had no way of knowing that none of those things was going to happen to ht have been finished for life"

"'Still, it's a terrible way to earn a living' That's what the thorn-bush said to the shrike, you know"

"I really don't - " I broke off because I had seen soht it was a rat, and I have a pronounced dislike of them; I have seen too many clients bitten in the oubliette under our tower

"What is it?"

"So white" I walked around the table to see "A sheet of paper Someone has slipped a note under our door"

"Another wo to sleep with you," Jonas said, but by that time I had already picked it up It was indeed a worayish ink upon parchment I held it close to the candle to read

Dearest Severian:

Fro e of Saltus, not far away It seeood to be true, but now I iveyou have endured for my sake was not by , but the others would not hear of it They judged that no one should know but those who had to knohich ht that if I did not obey theo the plan and leave me to die I knew you would die for me, and so I dared to hope that you would have chosen, if you could choose, to suffer for ive me

But now I a as I obey the siood Father Inire And so I will tell you everything, in the hope that when you have heard it all you will indeed forgive me You know of my arrest You will remember too how anxious your Master Gurloes was for my comfort, and how frequently he visited ht to hiht question ood Father Inire, had charged hith, when it became clear that the Autarch would not free ed to do so himself I do not knohat threats were made to Master Gurloes, or what bribes were offered him But they were sufficient, and a few days before ht, dearest Severian - he explained to h, of course, that I be freed I must be freed in such a way that no search should be made for me That meant it needs appear that I was dead; yet the instructions Master Gurloes had received had charged him strictly not to let me die