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The man rol ed his eyes dismissively "On the contrary, Fehost I have long been interested in recording exact stages of homo animus disanimation And since my trouble with the Vatican, I switched the focus of ed three papers on this one alone Now, I must admit, she has becometo fetch wineear "Which "

"But it has been useful I theorize that re of tether commences I believe my work here has proved this hypothesis"

"You mean to say that the soul rides the aether air, and as the body decoar lu of noncorporeal body parts? I have excavated the corpse, just there"

Sure enough, a hole had been dug into one corner of the cel ar floor, inside of which lay the irl

"What happened to the poor thing?"

"Nothing significant I got much needed information out of her before she went mad

The parents could not afford graveyard fees" He tut-tutted and shook his head at the shahost, the fa her around Unfortunately, they al then died of cholera and left her here for the next occupants to enjoy Been that way until I ca wisps A toenail bobbed in her direction In fact, al of the re softly toward her, as water wil go down a drain It was both eerie and unsettling Stil she hesitated Her stomach, and its nearby problematic companion, objected to both the se of what sheher breath, Alexia crouched down near the gravesite

The hole for the body had been dug directly into the dirt of the cel ar floor with no atteevity until the Ger to be a proper ghost before theher away It was a cruel business

What was left was a sad cruots and love and reached down She chose what looked to be the least decomposed part of the child’s head and touched her there once The flesh was incredibly squishy under her fingertip and coh" Alexia drew her hand back with a jerk of disgust

The faintly lu around the cel ar vanished instantly, dispersing into the musty air as preternatural touch severed the last of the soul’s tether to its body

The Ger, for once, stopped barking "Is that al ?"

Alexia nodded, brushing her fingertip against her skirt several times She stood

"But I did not even have my notebook out yet! What a--how do you say?--wasted opportunity"

"It is done"

"Extraordinary I have not observed a preternatural end a ghost before now Quite extraordinary well , that confirms that you are in truth, what you say you are, Feratulations"

As if I have won some sort of prize Alexia raised her eyebrows at that, but the little man didn’t seem to notice So she made her way firmly back up the stairs

The German trotted after "Truly, truly extraordinary Perfect exorcis with one touch I had read of it, certainly, but to see it, right there, in front of me Do you find the effects more rapid for you, than for themet one"

"Of course, of course Ya Cannot share the same air, preternaturals"

Alexia made her way back to the parlor, where Madame Lefoux and Floote had left her one of the croissants Thank goodness

"Hoas it?" asked the Frenchwohost Alexia had exorcised had been a very dear friend of Madame Lefoux’s

"Squishy"

Madaines it must be"

The Ger ful sunrise The sun was beginning to show just over the rooftops, and Alexia was pleased to see that Nice htly less dirty than Paris The dog vibrated its way around the rooh it had not reiven its apparent lack of a brain, before col apsing in an exhausted pouf under the settee

Alexia finished her croissant using only her untainted hand and then waited patiently, hoping against hope that soht be offered beds It felt like a very long ti to feel numb with tiredness Madame Lefoux seemed to feel much the same, for she had nodded off Her chin dipped down into the bow of her cravat Her top hat, stil partial y wrapped with Monsieur Trouvé’s scarf, tipped forward on her head Even Floote’s shoulders were sagging ever so slightly

The first rays of the sun crept in over the sil and speared into the rooht touched Floote’s trouser leg When Floote did not i from the room, the little German relaxed for what Alexia suspected was the first time since they had knocked on his door

With stil no offer of a sleeping cha, Alexia took a deep breath and faced her host squarely "Mr Lange-Wilsdorf, why al this bother and testing? Are you a true believer? I would have thought that odd in a member of the Order of the Brass Octopus"

Madame Lefoux cracked her eyelids at her friend’s direct speech and tipped her top hat back on her head with one elegant finger She regarded the little German with interest

"Perhaps, perhaps My research is delicate, dangerous, even If I am to trust you, or help you, it is important, vital, that none of you are--how do I put this?-- undead "

Alexia winced Madahtened out of her slouch, abruptly much less drowsy "Undead" was not a word one used openly in polite society The olves, vahosts found it understandably distasteful to be referred to as such Much in the same way that Alexia objected when the vaar

"That is a rather crude word, Mr Lange-Wilsdorf, wouldn’t you say?"