"We will watch events with great care and be ready for anything."

Hallway through the following morning Glawen went to the jail, to find Floreste closeted with Dame Skellane Laverty.

Neither seemed pleased when he entered the cell.

Floreste waved toward the door.

"As you see I am conferring with Dame Skellane."

Glawen asked: "What of the information you were to prepare for me?"

"It is not ready. Come back later!"

"There is not much 'later' left. Time is getting short."

"I need no reminders! I think often of this fact."

Glawen addressed Dame Skellane.

"Please don't distract him.

If he doesn't do his work you will see none of his money. I will cruise the Reach in my space yacht, and you will whistle for the new Orpheum."

"Truly, that is crass language!" cried Dame Skellane in a passion.

"I am shocked!" She turned to Floreste.

"It seems that we must abbreviate our little chat, which I had hoped might comfort you."

"My fate is upon me, dear lady! I must obey this saturnine young Clattuc, and reveal all my secrets. Glawen, come back later! I am not yet ready for you. Dame Skellane, you must excuse me."

Dame Skellane turned angrily upon Glawen.

"You should not hector poor Floreste during the last hours of his life! You should soothe and console him."

"In Floreste's case the only remedy is time," said Glawen.

"In thirty years his crimes will be forgotten and everyone will think him a saintly old martyr. What a fine joke! He would cut your throat on this instant if he thought he could gain his liberty or save himself a hundred sols."

Dame Skellane turned to Floreste.

"How can you tolerate this abuse so placidly?"

"Because, my dear, it is true. The first and most noble function of life is art! My own art, in particular. I am a mighty vehicle which careens across the cosmos bearing a precious if frangible cargo. Should anything impede my progress, or my existence, or my convenience, or my account at the Bank of Mircea, it must yield or be overridden by my trundling wheels!

"Ars gratia artis': that was a favorite dictum of the poet Navarth. And there you have it!"

"Oh, Floreste, I will never believe such things."

Glawen went to the door.

"Come, Dame Skellane, we must go."

Dame Skellane had a final word for Floreste: "At least I have restored you to your normal high spirits!"

"Quite so, dear lady! Thanks to you, I will die happy."

At noon Bodwyn Wook entered his office. Looking neither right nor left, he marched to his black tall-backed chair and seated himself. Finally he allowed himself to survey the occupants of the room.

"Is everyone present? I see Kirdy, Drusilla and Aries. I see Glawen, Ysel Laverty, Rune Offaw, and yonder sits Lieutenant Larke Diffin of the militia. Who is missing? Namour? Rune, where is Namour?"

"Namour has been somewhat fractious," said Rune Offaw.

"He declares himself too busy to attend the meeting. I sent a pair of sergeants in full uniform to bring him here, and if I am not mistaken, I hear them now."

The door opened and Namour came into the chamber.

"Ah, Namour!" said Bodwyn Wook.

"I am pleased that you are able to appear after all! It is just possible that we will need you to confirm or elaborate upon some element of our inquiry."

"Into what are you inquiring?" demanded Namour, with no show of cordiality.

"In all probability I know nothing of the matter, in which case I would wish to excuse myself, since today I am pressed for time."

"Come, come, Namour! You are too modest! It is widely believed that you know everything!"

"Not so! I am interested only in my own concerns."

Bodwyn Wook gave his hand a casual flourish.

"Today they must be subordinated to the work of Bureau B, which, as an organ of the Charter, naturally commands the full cooperation of everyone."

Namour smiled a cool sardonic smile.

"I have been brought willy- nilly to your inquiry; please do not expect me to kowtow as well. As soon as my help is no longer necessary, I hope that you will allow me to leave."

"Of course!" said Bodwyn Wook heartily. He reflected a moment, then signaled to Rune Offaw and Ysel Laverty. They came forward and the three conferred a few moments in soft voices. Then the "Boar" and the "Stoat" returned to their places.

Bodwyn Wook cleared his throat.

"Today we revert to a most unpleasant subject which many of us have relegated to the back of our minds. We do so only for good reasons, which will satisfy even Namour when he hears them. I refer to the atrocious murder of Sessily Veder, at the Parilia of several years ago.

"The files have never been closed, but only the persistence of Captain Glawen Clattuc has allowed us to resolve the case. Glawen, I will ask you to present the findings, since you are more familiar with the details than I."

"Just as you like. I will try not to be discursive. To start with, we had the clues discovered during the original investigation: mainly fibers found in the winery truck. They might have come from either Namour's satyr legs or two 'primordial' costumes in the Mummers' wardrobe. All the Bold Lion costumes were cut from different stuff.

"Namour was able to account for his movements during the critical time. Aries and Kirdy were supposed to be marching patrol at the Yip compound. Their signatures and counter signatures seemed to exculpate them both.