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"No fight!" Oreb advised

"Tell it to the strongto the wrong person"

"But the gods" Hound's voice faded away

"The gods possess ranted Great Pas, particularly, possesses it; and in fact the rest have it only because he accords it to theod has spoken to ?"

"Horn"

He could not see Hound's face fro other than Blood's doures less than half illuht; but Hound sounded alar, even so IThey don't talk to us ods' orders whenever they do Everybody I know does Didn't you promise?"

"Good Silk!" Oreb announced loyally

"No, I didn't The godling issued its orders and I asked some questions and nodded That's as far as it went"

"But your nodding implied-"

"That I had heard its answers and understood the said he was here- and take hiet home to Seawrack and the two sons who remain to us, Hound I think I've been away for about a year Hoould you feel if you'd been separated froht you called her so else"

"Did I say Seawrack? I' off the point, however The point is that I gave -and lost Are you looking at my face, Hound? I feel your eyes"

"Yes"

"This is not my face I've had little chance to study ers tell ers I am neither so tall nor so slender I have lost myself, you see, in service to h No, not if all the gods in Mainframe were to co?"

"You lost your yourself?"

"I'm not prepared to discuss it First, because you would credit nothing I said; and second, because we have a bargain I've carried outwanted me to do Furthermore, I've explained why I won't do it What were you on the point of saying about Pig?"

"This isn't it, but he's been gone an awfully long tiht, and he ain"

"I will, but first let ht? I'll tell you what I was going to say, but I've had ti to take so to say I was going to say that you and I get along fine Hound and Horn, right? It's the na to say I don't like Pig That's the part I want to take back I was going to say that I didn't like Pig, and I thought he was dangerous-"

"Good Pig!"

"And I was going to give you the na to put up at It's Erood bye and go our separate ways you could co"

"That was generous of you I certainly appreciate it" Still regarding the ceiling, the speaker s isn't really true I', and I think his blindnessblind" Hound giggled nervously "So I can't bla and Tansy et killed"

"Nor do we older people, I assure you You say you don't dislike Pig Do you like him?"

"I-" Hound hesitated "Yes Yes, I do I'm still afraid of him, but I like him a lot"

"So do I Thank you very much, Hound For your offer of a place to sleep-I appreciate it, andin , if you want to"

"I thank you again, this tienerous"

"You said what I alht be important It wasn't, and I realize it But that's what it was That's everything I was about to say"

"You're ht be Will you do me one more favor, Hound? You've done so many already that I hate to ask it, but I will I do"

"Yes, absolutely What is it?"

"Go to sleep"

"I was thinking Pig's not co o and see if I couldn't do what he said he was going to, find some old furniture to burn or tear off a couple of boards somewhere"

"Feed fire," Oreb elucidated

"No Go to sleep, please"

"It's getting colder"

"Weon his back with his hands behind his head, he talked to hi himself how the Outsider had touched Patera Silk on the ball court between one moment and the next, and how he hi that had occurred, conscious only of the game, conscious that the ball had been snatched away as he was about to shoot, conscious that Patera Silk was a much better player than he would ever be, conscious of the sun-bright sky through which a flier floated, a black cross against the sun, a sign of addition that signed that so had been added to a whorl that would never be quite the sa had co, whirling storure in a blue coat ure atop a music box, whose blue coat was a coat of paint, unconscious of all that passed when the box was silent, when the clever, shiny spring inside no longer uncoiled to yrations prescribed for the tune played by the steel co her hair by candlelight, a virgin gliarden, apples limpsed her then, seated on her bed in her chemise, and she was the most beautiful woman in the whorl, was Kypris and Hyacinth because she had yet to learn how beautiful she was and the power of her smile

Trampin' outwards from the city,

No arden pretty

A fountain and an apple tree

These fair young girls live to deceive you,

Sad experience teaches me

Dark hair braided like a crown, and a smile that tore the heart The mandola had not been played particularly well, and the sweet, soft voice of had been of lie And yet-and yet

Stretched and felt before I dared to,

Shinnied easy up the tree,