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Crouching down and raising his lantern, Arthur saw the stone floor simply ended as if it had been sheared off clean by an enore of the precipice, cloaking how far down the drop uessed that he had found the edge of the Pit Slowly he backed away, not feeling safe until he had returned to the other side of the railway

Now that he kneas on the edge of the Pit, Arthur realised that the railway slanted down in one direction That would be the way he was supposed to go But if he followed the rails, he would be drawn deeper and deeper into the horrible life of an indentured worker in Grim Tuesday’s realm On the other hand, if he followed the rails up, he’d probably get steamedand unlike a Denizen, would not survive the experience

I’ in now that he was trapped in a very unpleasant part of the House He didn’t have the Key, so apart froic to help hiet out and no way to communicate with his friends No one kneas here except the Lieutenant Keeper – who couldn’t tell anyone unless they asked first

He’d rushed in to try to stop his fa any ed to achieve was to get himself into very serious trouble

Arthur sat down on the rail, put his head in his hands, and ed his temples He felt slow and stupid and utterly defeated He had to figure out a way to escape There was no way he could survive going farther down the Pit

He started rocking back and forth Soht ht help hiht pain in his chest Not the internal ache of a stiffening lung, but so into hiot the green cloth-covered book out and rested it in his lap Then he laid both hands flat on the cover and thought out his question

How can I get out of the Pit?

The Atlas opened with less than its usual alacrity, and instead of growing to its usual dimensions, only expanded to twice its pocket-sized form It also kept partially closed, so Arthur had to peer in Clearly the Atlas didn’t like the air in the Pit either

A single letter was slowly sketched out in ink, then the unseen hand grew faster and wrote a word, then another As in the first tilish, and the letters were not any that he knew But as he looked at thenisable form

There are numerous ways to leave the fearso suitable passes and per up the service road;

b as a passenger upon Griers, with a wheel recalibrated for ascent

There are the unofficial ways, which are dangerous or self-defeating These include:

a by flying, with its attendant risks, some specific to the Pit; and

b by destruction at the hands of a Nithling or an eruption of Nothing

‘No,’ said Arthur ‘Ihappened The page of the Atlas remained still and frozen No unseen hand wrote, no ink shimmered

Arthur slowly closed the Atlas and put it in his pocket For a ive him some easy way out, some secret way to exit the Pit It had helped him back in his world, but it either couldn’t or wouldn’t help hio to an Overseer and ask to see Grin the stupid paper that would give him the First Key and the Lower House

‘Excuse o ahead ofArthur looked around and saw the Denizen who’d been behind hi in line here Name’s Japeth, by the way Former name, I suppose’

‘I’m Arthur,’ said Arthur He extended his hand Japeth took it, but before he could close his hand, blue sparks erupted from Arthur’s palo with a yelp and withdrew, sucking his fingers

‘You’re not an indentured worker!’ he exclaimed

Arthur tensed for the Denizen to call out to the Overseers, ould surely be soet a reward, or early release, or so So he mustn’t be allowed the opportunity

‘Don’t worry!’ Japeth added quickly as Arthur bent down and picked up a piece of the weird stone ballast from the train track ‘I’m not a snitch, tattletale, dobber, blabberer, squealer, fink, or indeed, easy-mouth Whoever you are, I shan’t say a word, phrase, utterance, syntag –’

‘You’d better not,’ warned Arthur He tried to sound severe but was very relieved as he dropped the stone ‘I’m hereon a mission to help all the indentured workers’

Japeth also seeinary hat His courtly ed velvet pants he wore under his leather apron His shirt was no longer white, but yellow, and the cuffs were done up with string rather than buttons Like most Denizens, he was handsome, but his face looked a little squashed, as did his body As if he’d been pushed down and broadened, an imperfect clay model that had once come from a handsome mould

‘I would be honoured to assist,’ he said ‘That is to say, aid, support, succour, abet, reinforce, or give a leg up’

‘Thank you,’ said Arthur ‘Um, do you always talk like that?’

‘You refer to my constant, even habitual, use of a multiplicity of words and terms?’

‘Yes’

‘Only when I’m nervous,’ replied Japeth ‘I amI used to be a Thesaurus Minier, or threat that we soiloquentI fight against it, I assure you Shall wefor us?’

‘I suppose we should,’ agreed Arthur, after a moment’s hesitation He needed more time to think, and they couldn’t stay where they were

‘After you,’ said Japeth, bowing and once again waving his i a little hi close behind him, not with all the ballast stone about He sounded sincere, but Arthur didn’t want to risk being hit on the head and handed over unconscious to the Overseers

Japeth inclined his head and strode off down the tracks, his clogs echoing hollowly on the stone sleepers Arthur followed, still thinking furiously and occasionally tripping over his own clogs If only he could get a e out to the Lower House Every idea he caot all excited for a second when he remembered that Monday’s Noon had been able to summon a telephone apparently out of nowhere in the House and the Secondary Realms But even if Arthur could do that, the Lower House’s telephone service had either been cut off or required cash payet soht Then I could call theWill, or Suzy, or Monday’s Noon

‘What currency do they use in the Pit?’ asked Arthur as they continued down the tracks without running into anyone or anything

‘I believe the Far Reaches used to have a very nicely old noble, silver real and copper bice,’ replied Japeth ‘However, Grie to hier entries Like our indentures’

He pulled out a rectangular piece of card that he wore on a string around his neck

‘Do you mind if I have a look?’ asked Arthur