Chapter 28 A Line from Tennyson
Long before dawn the next morning, Reason went up to Grace’s rooms, feeling both curious and worried about what was happening with the mission scheduled for this day, Good Friday. Grace was out of bed and dressed, and he welcomed her in, inviting her to sit down and offering her refreshments. As he went to get her a soft drink, she noted that nothing much seemed to be happening. Dignity, the only other person present, was seated nearby, looking at what appeared to be a map. Then Patience came in and sat down near her. Anxiously, she asked him how he was feeling.
“First rate,” he said. “You didn’t need to worry. Moore pistols are designed to go easy on Heavenites. I’m completely myself again.”
“That’s wonderful! You have no idea how guilty I’ve felt after accidentally shooting you.”
“Don’t feel that way. Things happen. I feel fine.”
“What a relief! Then will you go with Dignity on today’s mission?” she prompted, for she was afraid that Dignity might be sent off all by his blundering self.
Patience considered her question with a smile. “Today? Sure, why not? That’ll be fine. Yes, just fine.”
Something about his unconcern alarmed her. “You understand it would not be good for Dignity to go by himself?” she whispered.
“By himself? Yes, that would be fine,” he said in the same tone. “Couldn’t be better. I can catch up with him later.”
Returning with Reason’s drink, Grace noted her strained expression. “Our young friend has not completely recovered,” he said. “He’s still not ready for active duty.”
“Nope, not ready,” said Patience affably. “Time enough for that later. It’ll all work out fine.”
“I was hoping he could go with Dignity,” she said. “Is there some other agent? Maybe Prayer?”
Grace shook his head. He beckoned to Dignity, who came to them with the map, and the three sat down together at a little distance from Patience. The HIA agent seemed to be entertaining himself by humming and looking at a wall.
“Another day or two for him,” said Grace. “In the meantime, Dignity, do you find the map clear?”
Dignity smiled apologetically. “I never was much of a hand with a map, sir. Maybe it would help if I knew what it’s a map of. It’s laid out kind of like our neighborhood but different too.”
Reason pulled the map away from him and looked at it. Sure enough, it showed outlines of the houses of the neighborhood, but through them and around them were many lines, as if of paths, and beside the paths were room-shaped areas, and here and there the lines led to an irregular shape. All of this together made a sort of labyrinth.
“It is this neighborhood,” said Grace, “but what appear to be the houses actually are the outlines of their lower basements, for every one of them has a hot and hellish extra basement below the regular one, just as in this house. It’s standard in the City, though people don’t talk about it with their neighbors. The additional tunnels and rooms on the map are subterranean ways that you have, in part, walked before.
Dignity stiffened. “Surely you don’t expect me to go down there?”
“I do,” Grace said.
“What on earth for?”
Grace rested his hands on his knees and delayed answering.
“To go to Guiles’ house?” Dignity said with sudden insight.
“Let us review the situation,” Grace said. “Agent Prayer has not called in since Wednesday afternoon and we are unable to contact her. Honesty has told me that someone who fits the description of Indifference was in Goner House Wednesday evening, and we know that lady is capable of anything. Furthermore, we hear by way of neighborhood gossips that Oblivia Goner has been borrowing from her neighbors such things as soup and aspirin, as if she were tending someone ill. That would be our agent. Standard procedure is to wait, hoping that Prayer will call us to say that she’s recovering. We’ve delayed sending in help while we waited, but we can delay no longer.
“How to reach Prayer then? The citizen volunteer guards are no longer patrolling, but the barrier in front of the house has not yet been taken down by City workmen. The barrier gate is kept padlocked and no one will come out of the house to open it. A CRISP agent, our old friend Edgar, is posted at the house door, and a City policeman is parked just down the street, keeping an eye on things. As for the back of the house, which used to lie open, Guiles had it boarded up sometime last year. There’s no way in.”
“Break a window!” said Dignity.
“It’s not our way to force an entrance,” said Grace. “Our King is too much the gentleman and will not hear of it. It’s also a part of his gentlemanliness that he does not send strangers, whether military personnel or intelligence agents, but you Dignity, a relative. Now, the map Reason is holding shows a way that will lead you to the one unlocked access remaining, one our enemies never thought any sane person would consider. I refer to the trap door leading from Goner House’s sub-basement to the basement proper. It can be approached by way of these underground, Hadean regions.
“But—but sir, there are things down there, and well, things that move, and things and all that. It’s really scary.”
“Yes, it is. Very. Also, there are some practical difficulties having to do with flooding and what not. It rained yesterday, you’ll recall. Altogether it’s not the route I would have chosen for you if there were any other. We do, however, have some special equipment to help get you through. Then, once you’re in, you can both rescue Prayer and open the house from the inside to Miss Wittily Hope and her siblings, who will be waiting just outside the barrier gate.”
Dignity glanced at Reason and his mouth was twisted as if full of something distasteful.
He turned back to Grace. “I know how important this is to you, sir.
“You understand that we’ve given Reason some time off? She won’t be with you.”
“Yes, and that’s how I want it. She deserves it.”
“Very well,” Grace said, rising, “let’s go downstairs where Chief Doohickey will show you your equipment. Reason, you could stay here, but perhaps you’ll prefer to go back to your room.”
Reason rose to her feet, her dark eyes popping.
“I’m back on duty, sir. Reporting in. Listen, you don’t send him without me!”
Grace raised a snowy eyebrow. “My dear, are you giving me orders?”
“No! Or maybe yes. I guess I insist.”
Grace looked at her for long seconds. “When Chief Doohickey showed me the design for the fire protective suit that Dignity is to wear, I confess I asked her to provide a smaller suit as well. You see, I’m never really surprised by anyone but myself, so this is not completely unexpected; but it is, my dear, rather splendid. Somehow it reminds me of a line from Tennyson. Come, my friends, push off, and sitting well in order smite the sounding furrows. Do you know the poem? Let me take your hand, dear. No, no, Dignity, say no more about it. You heard her give the order, so what am I to do? And really, I think you knew that without her you had no more chance down there than a rabbit fallen in a wolves’ den.”