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There was a ping Several vacuum tubes on the mechanical contraption lit up and the printer juddered intopaper tape, letter by letter

Kai picked it up and looked at it ‘Welcome,’ he read out ‘Please make yourselves comfortable and I will be with you--’

The printer ca, permanent sort of noise

‘Shortly, I hope,’ Irene said

‘This is cool’ Kai began to wander round theat theinal of Keats’s La in Classical Manuscripts in that case--’

‘That would be because I’ it with the Plutarchopen to reveal a ed, dark-skinnedyou is a pleasure,’ he added in the Language

‘The action of conversing with you is a pleasure,’ Irene replied ‘I’m Irene This is Kai We’re here about the 1812 Gri, and ree could sound Listeners eren’t trained in it heard it in their native language, but with a certain unplaceable accent Librarians, of course, heard it for what it hich made it an ideal tool for cross-checks and passwords and countersigns Like this

Dominic Aubrey nodded ‘I’d invite you to take a seat, but there’s only one chair Please lean wherever suits you’ He fiddled nervously with his glasses, pushing thee of his nose, then brushed at his coat He was in what looked like vaguely Victorian-period garb froalia included the standard white shirt and stiff collar, with a black frock coat, waistcoat and trousers His straight hair was tied back in a crisp tail, reaching halfway down between his shoulder-blades ‘The situation has, um, developed a bit since I last sent in a report’

Irene leaned against the edge of the desk, eht feel it ‘I quite understand This is a chaos-infested world, after all Perhaps if you’d give us the briefing frolanced at Kai, and he nodded in acceptance, waiting for her to take the lead

‘All right’ Dominic sat down in his chair, folded his arinally found out about the Grimm first edition after the death of Edward Bonhomme, when it came into circulation He was a local property owner and bibliophile Owned a nice selection of sluood profit out of them, and put the money into his books Unfortunately, he was a hoarder of the worst sort Never invited anyone round, never even let anyone look at his books, just kept theloated over them You know the sort?’

‘I’ve had to visit a few people like that,’ Irene agreed ‘Anything suspicious about his death?’

Doed ‘He fell downstairs, broke his neck and was found by the housekeeper in the ht the cheapest candles on the market, and the stair carpet was threadbare A lot of people did quite well out of his death, but none of thenificant motive The police treated it as an accident and it was left as such’