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Once I saw beforeof horror, one of the walking statues Like a colossal raceful and too slow to be hu to the inaudible notes of so back until it had passed, wondering if it could sense me where I stood in the shadow, and if it cared that I stood so

Just when I had despaired of finding the Gate of Trees, I saw it There was no ainst a wall, the greater gardeners of the House Absolute, who have generations in which to coe li confor on the rooftops of the greatest palace of Urth, with not a stone in sight, saw loo wood as if of masonry I ran then

Chapter 22

PERSONIFICATIONS

Through the wide, dripping arch of the Gate of Trees I ran, and out onto a broad expanse of grass, now spangled with tents Soathere roared and shook its chain There seeathere, no longer disturbed by my footfalls, settled back into the deathlike sleep of its kind I could hear the dew running from the leaves, and the faint, interrupted twitter of birds

So else there was as well A faint whick, whick, quick and irregular, that grew louder as I listened for it I began to thread a path a the sound I ed it, however, for Dr Talos saw me before I saw him

"My friend! My partner! They are all asleep - your Dorcas and the rest All but you and I Over here!"

He flourished his cane as he spoke; the whick, whick had been his chopping at the heads of flowers

"You have rejoined us just in tiht, and I would have been forced to hire one of these fellows to take your part I'hted to see you! I owe you some money - do you recall? Not much, and between you and I, I think it false But it is owed just the same, and I always pay"

"I'reat suet it, provided you'll giveto eat and shohere I can sleep for a couple of watches"

The doctor's sharp nose dipped for an instant to express regret "Sleep you may have in plenty until the others wake you But I'm afraid we've no food Baldanders, you know, eats like a fire The Thiasus Marshal has pro today for all of us" He waved his stick vaguely at the irregular city of tents "But I' at the earliest"

"It's probably just as well I'm really too tired to eat, but if you'll shohere I can lie down - "

"What got your head? Never reasepaint This way!" He was already trotting before h a maze of tent ropes to a heliotrope dome Baldanders's barrow stood at the door, and at last I felt certain I had found Dorcas again

When I woke, it was as though we had never been separated Dorcas's delicate loveliness was unchanged; Jolenta's radiance threw it into shadow as always, yet ether, that she would leave so that I ht rest my eyes on Dorcas I took Baldanders to one side, an hour or so after ere all awake, and asked him why he had left me in the forest beyond the Piteous Gate

"I was not with you," he said slowly "I ith ht hiether and been of help to each other"

There was a long hesitation; I seeht of those dull eyes onit would be if Baldanders possessed energy and the will to anger At last he said, "Were you with us e left the city?"

"Of course Dorcas and Jolenta and I were all with you"

Another hesitation "We found you there, then"

"Yes, don't you remember?"

He shook his head slowly, and I noticed that his thatch of coarse black hair was touched with gray "I woke oneYou left me soon"

"The circuain" (I felt a pang of guilt when I recalled that I had never intended to honor that proain," Baldanders said dully; and then, seeing that the answer failed to satisfyhere real to me but Dr Talos"

"Your loyalty is very coht have remembered that he wanted me with hiry with this diiant

"We will collect ain, as we have built before, when they have forgotten"

"This is the north But that's right, your house was destroyed, wasn't it?"

"Burned," Baldanders said I could almost see the flames reflected in his eyes

"I aht only of the castle andthere and went to inspect the properties of our theater - not that they seemed in need of it, or that I could have detected any but the athered around Jolenta, and Dr Talos drove theo into the tent A moment later, I heard the sry

"It isn't her fault," I said "You kno she looks"

"Too gaudy Too gaudy by far Do you knohat I like about you, Sieur Severian? You prefer Dorcas Where is she, by the way? Have you seen her since you came back?"

"I warn you, Doctor Don't strike her"

"I wouldn't think of it I'm only afraid she may be lost"