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"I don't believe you," I said I looked around the roo in its lacquered frame: a house in Amsterdam above a canal I looked at the frost on the leadedNothing visible of the night outside at all I felt sad suddenly; only it wasn't anything as bad as before It was just an acknowledght me here, the need hich I'd come, to stand in his little chamber and feet his eyes on me; to hear him say that he kneho I was

The moment darkened I couldn't speak

"Yes," he said in a timid tone behind me "I knoho you are "

I turned and looked at him It seemed I'd weep suddenly Weep on account of the warto lose my composure, that was foolish

"It's quite fascinating really," I said "You wouldn't kilt me But you wouldn't become what I am "

"That's correct "

"No I don't believe you," I said again

A little shadow ca shadow He was afraid I'd seen some weakness in him that he wasn't aware of himself

I reached for his pen "May I? And a piece of paper please?"

He gave them to me immediately I sat down at the desk in his chair All very immaculate-the blotter, the small leather cylinder in which he kept his pens, and even theas I wrote

"It's a phone number," I said I put the piece of paper in his hand "It's a Paris number, an attorney, who knows me under my proper name, Lestat de Lioncourt, which I believe is in your files? Of course he doesn't know the things about me you know But he can reach me Or, perhaps it would be accurate to say that I am always in touch with him "

He didn't say anything, but he looked at the paper, and he memorized the number

"Keep it," I said "And when you change yourto say so, call the number And I'll come back "

He was about to protest I gestured for silence

"You never knohat may happen," I told him I sat back in his chair, and crossed my hands on my chest "You may discover you have a fatal illness; you may find yourself crippled by a bad fall Maybe you'll just start to have night Doesn't ive, call And reive it to you Ithat when you decide you want it, then the dialogue will begin "