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Chapter 1
"I AM AFRAID HIS ATTENTION is s," Shen Li observed in aup the great carved-out slab of stone which should form the central part of the floor of the pavilion: a curious opinion to hear froon, ere nearly all of thes; but perhaps her long stretches in the air, over the barren distances of the Australian deserts and the southern Pacific, had inclined the great-winged Chinese courier to adopt a philosophy more suited to her lot
"It is of course an admirable work," she added, "but such attach"
Laurence answered her with only a set the slab aloft, and Laurence noaved the teauide it into its final resting place; but even this ihts Those were bent upon the low hut some ten yards distant, under a stand of trees and the coolest place in their ragged enca: and with him all the world, coht it done with
The slab swayed uncertainly inwooden braces; Tehed out his breath and lowered sloay, and the stone scraped bark and shreds of wood down onto the workers as the slab eased gently down and settled in, theaith their staves as it slid
"Well, and a miracle it is no-one was crushed, or lost a hand," Mr O’Dea said with so of an air of disappointment, as he paid off the men with their tots of rureat many predictions of disaster over Tele enormous slab of beautifully marbled stone preserved at the heart of his pavilion
"It would have been quite criminal to cut it up smaller," Temeraire said, "and spoil the pattern; not that I do not adeh soht say it is just ordinary rock"
He had finished inspecting all the supports, sniffing at the fresh mortar anxiously, and now sank doith some relief beside Laurence and Shen Li for a drink of water froree?"
"It is very handso it in the valley where it was formed"
"I do not mean to be rude, Laurence," Temeraire said quietly aside, when she had turned her attention elsewhere, "but Shen Li can be rather darateful to her for being so obliging as to co us letters and visitors: how kind of Mr Ha a way to see us"
"Yes," Laurence said soberly, as he undid the wrappings on the e and heavy scroll wrapped on rollers of jade, for Temeraire from his mother, Qian, which accompanied a book of poetry; and a thick sealed packet which Laurence turned over several ti to find it addressed to Gong Su with noSu said, and taking it went into his own s the Chinese ritual of obeisance to it, and supposed it must be a coruously, a heavily crossed note for a Mr Richard Shipley: "Can this be for you, Mr Shipley?" Laurence asked, doubtfully, wondering how a former convict should have coit, "my brother’s in the Willow-Tree as runs the Canton route, and ht also a s to Sydney, but these were all the letters directed to the members of their own s: O’Dea would take it to Port Jackson to with it His business ht well be there, with Captain Rankin, who after all was the senior officer of the Corps in this country
Laurence could not persuade himself to believe it, however While the cows roasted on spits, for the dragons’ dinner, he walked out over the newly laid floor of the pavilion to its edge and looked down upon the broad valley, already sprouting with the first seed crops, and the browsing herd of sheep and cattle lowing soft to one another in the late afternoon The as only a distant stor on the other side of the mountains, a faint, far-away noise; here there was peace, and honest labor, without the clinging stink of murder and treachery which seemed to have by slow octopoid measures attached itself to his life Laurence had found hiotten by it
"Thank you, I will," he heard Haed frolass of ru into an offered camp-chair Laurence rubbed a hand over his jaw, over the hard prickle of the beard, grown fa a few letters and soratitude," Ha back to his feet, when Laurence had joined him "I have slept all the day!--and I am astonished to see you so far advanced" He nodded towards the pavilion
"Yes, indeed," Te his head around at the co splendidly, and we have thought up several sh it; when you are feeling , of course: you cannot have had a comfortable journey"
"No," Ha; Laurence, will you think of it, three weeks!--this ti; it is scarcely to be believed Although I am not certain I have survived the experience; yes, thank you, I will take another"
Haivenunwatered rum worked upon his caution, or perhaps he would not have spoken so readily when Laurence said, "Sir, while your company must always be welcome, I must confess myself at a loss to answer for your presence here; you cannot have made such a journey for so round in vain for a table at last set down his glass upon the ground, and straightened up bea, "but I must tell you at once: I am here to restore you to the list, Captain; you are reinstated, and--" Laurence was staring, while Ha in the inner pockets of his coat "I even have theold bars which marked a captain of the Aerial Corps