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Slowly, he looked up They stood some twenty feet away from him, near to the cluttered concession stand, as if it could hide theentlemen They were old, in fact, learned, with heavily creased faces and priray overcoats, the bit of starched collar showing, the glea knot of silk tie They see the fla on the barbaric noise and broken chatter

And with such natural reticence they stared; as if they were too polite to be afraid Elders of the Tala for Jessica

Know us? Yes, you do of course No harm Don't care

His silent words drove the one called David Talbot back a pace Thebecame hurried, and there was a sudden daant composure David Talbot narrowed his eyes as if he would not be dazzled by what he saw; as if he would see the tiny dancing htness

How small it seeile man, for whom education and refinement have only increased all risks So siht, his expectations Should Khayman tell them where Jesse was? Should he meddle? It would make no difference ultimately

He sensed now that they were afraid to go or to remain, that he had them fixed almost as if he'd hypnotized the at hi, if only to end this awful scrutiny

Don't go to her You 'd be fools if you did; She has others like me now to look after her Best leave here I would if I were you

Noould all this read in the archives of the Talaht find out To what modern places had they removed their old documents and treasures?

Benjamin, the Devil That's who I am Don't you knowat the floor He had not known he possessed this vanity And suddenly he did not care what this moment meant to them

He thought listlessly of those olden times in France when he had played with their kind "Allow us but to speak to you!" they'd pleaded Dusty scholars with pale eternally red-rientlemen, for whom the occult was a matter of science, not philosophy The hopelessness of that tihtened hi

Go away

Without looking up, he saw that David Talbot had nodded Politely, he and his co back over their shoulders, they hurried down the curve of the lobby, and into the concert

Khay fro why he had coet again; that he was in some lovely place full of warm breezes andelectric lights beneath the faded clouds, and flat endless city pave

Jesse

"Let me alone, you son of a bitch!' Jesse kicked the man beside her, the one who had hooked his are "You bastard!" Doubled over with the pain in his foot, he was no match for her sudden shove He toppled and went down