whistling through the passages and howling along stairwells; for all that the only light was from guttering brands and that the walls ran with damp or were festooned with mildew; for all the rats glimpsed from time to time; for all the bloodless faces of Mongrove's living-dead retainers, the thick cobwebs, the chilly odours, the peculiar little sounds, Jherek was pleased to be inside and walked quite merrily with Mongrove as they made their way up several flights of unclad stone stairs, through a profusion of twisting corridors until at last they arrived in Mongrove's banqueting hall.
"And where is Werther," asked Lord Jagged, "de Goethe, I mean? I was sure he left with you last night. At the Duke of Queens?"
"The Duke of Queens." Mongrove's massive brow frowned. "Aye. Aye. The Duke of Queens. Yes, Werther was here for a while. But he left. Some new nightmare or other he promised to show me when he'd completed it."
"Nightmare?"
"A play. Something. I'm not sure. He said I would like it."
"Excellent."
"Ah," sighed Mongrove. "That space-traveller. How I would love to converse longer with him. Did you hear him? Doom, he said. We are doomed! "
"Doom, doom," echoed Lord Jagged, signing for Jherek to join in.
"Doom," said Jherek a little uncertainly. "Doom, doom."
"Yes, dark damnation. Dejection. Doom. Doom. Doom." Mongrove stared into the middle distance.
Jherek thought that Mongrove seemed to have picked up Lord Jagged's predilection for words beginning with "d."
"You covet, then, the alien?" he said.
"Covet him?"
"You want him in your menagerie?" explained Lord Jagged. "That's the question."
"Of course I would like him here. He is very morbid , isn't he? He would make an excellent companion."
"Oh, he would!" said Lord Jagged, staring significantly at Jherek as the three men seated themselves at Mongrove's chipped and stained dining table. But Jherek couldn't quite work out why Jagged stared at him significantly. "He would! What a shame he is in My Lady Charlotina's collection."
"Is that where he is? I wondered."
"Lady Charlotina wouldn't give you the little alien, I suppose," said Lord Jagged. "Since his companionship would mean so much to you."
"Lady Charlotina hates me," said Mongrove simply. "Surely not!"
"Oh, yes she does. She would give me nothing. She is jealous of my collection, I suppose."
Mongrove went on, with gloomy pride: "My collection is large. Possibly the largest there is."
"I have heard that it is magnificent," Jherek told him.
"Thank you, Jherek," said the giant gratefully.
Mongrove's attitude had changed completely. Evidently all he asked for was that his misery should be taken seriously. Then he could forget every past slight, every joke at his expense, that Jherek had ever made. In a few minutes they had changed, in Mongrove's eyes, from being bitter enemies to the closest of friends.
It was plain to Jherek that Lord Jagged understood Mongrove very well — as well as he knew Jherek, if not better. He was constantly astonished at the insight of the Lord of Canaria. Sometimes Lord Jagged could appear almost sinister!
"I would very much like to see your menagerie," said Lord Jagged. "Would that be possible, my miserable Mongrove?"
"Of course, of course," said Mongrove. "There is little to see, really. I expect it lacks the glamour of My Lady Charlotina's, the colour of the Duke of Queens', even the variety of your mother's, Jherek, the Iron Orchid's."
"I am sure that is not the case," said Jherek diplomatically.
"And would you like to see my menagerie also?" asked Mongrove.
"Very much," said Jherek. "Very much. I hear you have —"
"Those cracks," said Lord Jagged suddenly and deliberately interrupting his friend, "they are new, are they not, dear Mongrove?"
He gestured towards several large fissures in the far wall of the hall.
"Yes, they're comparatively recent," Mongrove agreed. "Do you like them?"
"They are prime! "
"Not excessive? You don't think they are excessive?"
"And where is Werther," asked Lord Jagged, "de Goethe, I mean? I was sure he left with you last night. At the Duke of Queens?"
"The Duke of Queens." Mongrove's massive brow frowned. "Aye. Aye. The Duke of Queens. Yes, Werther was here for a while. But he left. Some new nightmare or other he promised to show me when he'd completed it."
"Nightmare?"
"A play. Something. I'm not sure. He said I would like it."
"Excellent."
"Ah," sighed Mongrove. "That space-traveller. How I would love to converse longer with him. Did you hear him? Doom, he said. We are doomed! "
"Doom, doom," echoed Lord Jagged, signing for Jherek to join in.
"Doom," said Jherek a little uncertainly. "Doom, doom."
"Yes, dark damnation. Dejection. Doom. Doom. Doom." Mongrove stared into the middle distance.
Jherek thought that Mongrove seemed to have picked up Lord Jagged's predilection for words beginning with "d."
"You covet, then, the alien?" he said.
"Covet him?"
"You want him in your menagerie?" explained Lord Jagged. "That's the question."
"Of course I would like him here. He is very morbid , isn't he? He would make an excellent companion."
"Oh, he would!" said Lord Jagged, staring significantly at Jherek as the three men seated themselves at Mongrove's chipped and stained dining table. But Jherek couldn't quite work out why Jagged stared at him significantly. "He would! What a shame he is in My Lady Charlotina's collection."
"Is that where he is? I wondered."
"Lady Charlotina wouldn't give you the little alien, I suppose," said Lord Jagged. "Since his companionship would mean so much to you."
"Lady Charlotina hates me," said Mongrove simply. "Surely not!"
"Oh, yes she does. She would give me nothing. She is jealous of my collection, I suppose."
Mongrove went on, with gloomy pride: "My collection is large. Possibly the largest there is."
"I have heard that it is magnificent," Jherek told him.
"Thank you, Jherek," said the giant gratefully.
Mongrove's attitude had changed completely. Evidently all he asked for was that his misery should be taken seriously. Then he could forget every past slight, every joke at his expense, that Jherek had ever made. In a few minutes they had changed, in Mongrove's eyes, from being bitter enemies to the closest of friends.
It was plain to Jherek that Lord Jagged understood Mongrove very well — as well as he knew Jherek, if not better. He was constantly astonished at the insight of the Lord of Canaria. Sometimes Lord Jagged could appear almost sinister!
"I would very much like to see your menagerie," said Lord Jagged. "Would that be possible, my miserable Mongrove?"
"Of course, of course," said Mongrove. "There is little to see, really. I expect it lacks the glamour of My Lady Charlotina's, the colour of the Duke of Queens', even the variety of your mother's, Jherek, the Iron Orchid's."
"I am sure that is not the case," said Jherek diplomatically.
"And would you like to see my menagerie also?" asked Mongrove.
"Very much," said Jherek. "Very much. I hear you have —"
"Those cracks," said Lord Jagged suddenly and deliberately interrupting his friend, "they are new, are they not, dear Mongrove?"
He gestured towards several large fissures in the far wall of the hall.
"Yes, they're comparatively recent," Mongrove agreed. "Do you like them?"
"They are prime! "
"Not excessive? You don't think they are excessive?"
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