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Lomer nodded His skin was of that pale color peculiar to those who never see the sun; with his straggling beard and uneven teeth, he would have been repulsive in any other setting; but he belonged here as much as the half-obliterated tiles of the floor did "I am here by the malice of the Chatelaine Leocadia I was seneschal to her rival the Chatelaine Nyht ht review the accounts of the estate while she attended the rites of the philomath Phocas, the Chatelaine Leocadia entrapped me by the aid of Sancha, who - "

The old woman, Nicarete, interrupted him "Look!" she exclaimed "He knows her" And so I did A chamber of pink and ivory had risen in lass exquisitely framed Fires burned there on lass but filling the room with a dry heat and the odor of sandalwood An old woman wrapped in many shawls sat in a chair that was like a throne; a decanter of cut crystal and several brown phials stood on an inlaid table at her side

"An elderly woer of Fors"

"You do know her then" Lo the question put by its own mouth "You are the first in many years"

"Let us say that I remember her"

"Yes" The old man nodded "They say she is dead now But inwoman The Chatelaine Leocadia persuaded her to it, then caused us to be discovered, as Sancha knew she would She was but fourteen, and no cri in any case; she had only begun to undressman yourself"

He did not answer, so Nicarete replied for hiht"

"And you," I asked "Why are you here?"

"I am a volunteer"

I looked at her in some surprise

"Someone must make amends for the evil of Urth, or the New Sun will never come And someone must call attention to this place and the others like it I auards must be careful of me, and of all the others while I remain here"

"Do you mean that you can leave, and will not?"

"No," she said, and shook her head Her hair hite, but she wore it flowing about her shoulders as young women do "I will leave, but only on my own ter that they have forgotten their crimes be set free as well"

I remembered the kitchen knife I had stolen for Thecla, and the ribbon of crimson that had crept from under the door of her cell in our oubliette, and I said, "Is it true that prisoners really forget their crimes here?"

Lomer looked up at that "Unfair! Question for question - that's the rule, the old rule We still keep the old rules here We're the last of the old crop, Nicarete and me, but while we last, the old rules still stand Question for question Have you friends who may strive for your release?"

Dorcas would, surely, if she knehere I was Dr Talos was as unpredictable as the figures seen in clouds, and for that very reason h he had no realso Most ier, and Vodalus had at least one agent in the House Absolute - hie I had tried to cast away the steel thile Jonas and I were riding north, but had found that I could not; the alzabo, it seelad of that

"Have you friends? Relations? If you have, youfor the rest of us"

"Friends, possibly," I said "They may try to help me if they ever learn what has happened to me Is it likely theytime; if I were to write it all here, there would be no end to this history In that rooas until all the savor has gone out of the man has chewed all day In many respects, these prisoners are better off than the clients beneath our oer; by day they have no fear of pain, and none is alone But because , and few of our clients had been long confirmed, ours were, for the most part, filled with hope, while those in the House Absolute are despairing

After whatlaan to fade, and I told Loer They led me to a spot far from the door, where it was very dark, and explained that it would be mine until one of the other prisoners died and I succeeded to a better position

As they left, I heard Nicarete say, "Will they coht?" Lomer made some reply, but I could not say what that reply was, and I was too fatigued to ask My feet told me there was a thin pallet on the floor; I sat down and had begun to stretchbody

Jonas's voice said, "You needn't jerk back It's only ? I saw you walking about, but I couldn't break away from the two old people Why didn't you co because I was thinking And I didn't come over because I couldn't break away from the women who had me, at first Afterward, those people couldn't break away from me Severian, I must escape from here"

"Everyone wants to, I suppose," I told him "Certainly I do"

"But I ripped mine "If I don't, I will kill myself or lose my reason I've been your friend, haven't I?" His voice dropped to the faintest of whispers "Will the talisemset us free? I know the praetorians didn't find it; I watched while they searched you"