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The inside of the wardrobe was bigger than the outside There were racks of clothes against the side walls, and shelves of boots, shoes, and accessories The rear allpapered with a siainst it, next to a small table with an open book of fashion plates on it
Arthur hurried over, shoved the table and book aside, and pulled the chaise lounge away from the wall Then he reached up and pulled a loose corner of wallpaper It ca a mirrored surface underneath Arthur ripped some more, and then Suzy and Leaf and Jebenezer and even Ichabod were there pulling at the paper as well
‘What if it’s really deep on the other side?’ asked Leaf ‘Will we get the bends going up? Can you get the bends in the House?’
‘I don’t know!’ snapped Arthur ‘We haven’t got a choice, have we? Go through as soon as the paper’s off’
‘What about you?’ asked Suzy
‘I’ve got to o or you’ll get trampled’
As the paper was almost all off, he took the Carp’s jar fro a solid wall of waiting Denizens, ere barely kept in check by the combined efforts of the Mates, some of the Carp’s Followers, and the h back to the blanket box He stepped up on that, ignoring the fact that it was vibrating, along with the floor, like a badly tuned car
‘Okay, Carp, maximum volume,’ said Arthur ‘Repeat what I say’
‘I shall do so,’ replied the Carp
‘Quiet down!’
‘Quiet down!’
‘Don’t push and wait your turn!’
‘Don’t push and wait your turn!’
‘Everyone will get out!’
‘Everyone will get out!’
‘Listen carefully but don’t move till I tell you to’
‘Listen carefully but don’t move till I tell you to’
‘There are talls of o through’
‘Walk slowly and carefully through the wardrobe h the next set of mirrors You will come out underwater Swim up and try to help anyone who needs it’
‘Walk slowly and carefully through the wardrobe h the next set of mirrors You will come out underwater Swim up and try to help anyone who needs it’
‘Everyone at the back stay still If you’re in front of the wardrobe, start walking slowly forward!’
‘Everyone at the back stay still If you’re in front of the wardrobe, start walking slowly forward!’
‘As space opens in front of you, walk slowly forward! Steady! Everyone will get through!’
‘As space opens in front of you, walk slowly forward! Steady! Everyone will get through!’
Arthur kept giving instructions as the Denizens shuffled forward into the mirrored doors of the wardrobe Every now and then one would panic and Arthur would stop breathing as it looked like the fear would spread, only for everything to come back under control as calmer Denizens wrestled the panicked one back into line
But it’s all taking too long, Arthur thought as he was forced to step down fro itself to pieces The floor under his feet was starting to glow a nasty, dull red -- if it wasn’t for his Immaterial Boots, Arthur was sure he would feel the heat
‘Let’shis words Perhaps half the Denizens had gone through, so there was more room and less likelihood of a terrible crush
Five minutes later, the walls started to weep black, tarlike tears the size of Arthur’s head, and the floor isting and tilting by as much as six inches up and down
‘Co on the spot and then forhen space opens up!’
He de on asurface Perhaps two hundred Denizens remained, but the room was clearly under enormous stress, and that meant that the Moth and the worldlet outside must be close to final destruction
‘Can you tell what’s happening outside?’ whispered Arthur to the Carp as heDenizens ‘I mean the Moth side, Feverfeorldlet’
‘It’s still there because we’re still here,’ said the Carp ‘Hold on a moment I’ll check’
It whizzed around its jar several ti, though the cosone Remarkable, really Grim Tuesday lacked true flair, but his as always very solid’
‘How long have we got?’
‘Minutes, not hours,’ said the Carp ‘I can’t say closer than that’
‘Right,’ said Arthur grimly There was some sort of holdup near the rear ranks of Denizens He threaded his way over to it, to find Sunscorch, Pannikin, and Captain Swell trying to pry Captain Catapillow from a display cabinet Arthur was only mildly surprised not to see Concort, who o without at least the heart of my collection,’ sobbed Catapillow ‘Just one cabinet You can help o!’
‘Lord Arthur, please tell the Captain he has to leave the stamps behind,’ asked Sunscorch
‘You do have to leave the to last h, and you need to set an exaed the cabinet ‘If o with it’
‘I guess let hi Denizens There were perhaps fifty left, all gathered near the wardrobe, which was becoet into as the floor bucked up and down ‘Everyone else, let’s get through the mirrors!’