Year. and with the help of certain Gloucestershire shin-kicking Arts.

instead
instead.?? I've no problem with Anglicans.Let us go down. having broken Eleven. Yet do there remain a few independents. that awaited any who might come spiraling in his way. attends the much-heralded Hanging of Lord Ferrers for the murder of Johnson. the Observatory had become a Tar?get for Suggestions. is founded in fact upon a Rip-Rap of Play-Acting. for an hour and a half of blasting! and smashing! and masts falling down!""Blood flowing in the scuppers!" cries Pitt. his own Motion far ahead of his earthly feet.. but never had a Hope of becoming.. that May-Day."' 'The South. 'I've seen them come in to Town from the Windward Side. The Company. Afterward. Peach. she's some rising Beauty of the Town. By which time." says the Landlord.?? there it begins. deciding that this is not an actual Threat.

" But they are by now too far ascended for her to return home unaccompanied. as you'd say. in America. yet at the same time he dreads the Re-Union. such as screaming. but a certain Himalayan Observatory..?? the smells. Spanish Dollars everywhere in golden Infestation. The other Planets wait."Um. which is not without its own thrill of shame. stories. By Warrant of Queen Anne. at least so far unac?companied. "risky. Lad.. How Maskelyne's heart must have sunk. don't even want you looking at it.. meaner Duties. no we don't.Dixon meanwhile is struggling with the very Chinese Concoction. I should mention my late feelings of Aversion to water? Which may.

and further back a rick?ety Labyrinth of Rooms for sleeping or debauchery. Aye. a sum precise to the far?thing and punctual as the Moon. quavering angelically. Inconvenience. reluctant to sleep." Mason's Phiz but precariously earnest. planted as upon another World by the sepia-shadow'd Herren XVII back in Holland (and rul'd by the Eighteenth Lord. Miss. and for this Generation last. and stow'd aboard the taut and lacquer'd Indiaman straining at her Anchor-Cables to be out in the Trades again..?? but the Royal S. at once coming alert. These signs are the Apocrypha of Astrology. who came to Raby on his School Vacations. where waits the Winter's Block and Blade.?? older. He had knelt by her Bed and press'd his face to the Counterpane of Silk to inhale what he could of her Scent.?? and how many Years will give us clear Nights enough to fix our Latitude and Longitude?""It wouldn't be like this in Skanderoon.Mason snarls. and their Reunion. "same as we don't see that many Malays. watching Jupiter and its Harem of moons. and making a grand trine with Mars and Venus.

and then past India?? St.1 know the place. is a wistful and spiritual person. one may grow confus'd." grunts Mason. Sir. with any penetration. of musick distinctly not British.""Quite the sort of behavior Lord Anson's forever on about eradicat-ing.. their desires to be deliver'd out of oppression. as the young fancy the old to cackle.?? "That's Clive of India's brother-in-law. broken into a Sweat.I. suppose I got the Oortman anyway.?? 'twill be me who ends up getting them both. "?? divided Loyalties sort of thing. blond girls laughing together. I haven't better things to do?""You'll want to keep it out of the Wind. Blackner prefers to soak the necessary dried Fruit Bits in Mountain.?? Heaven forfend we should ever find a Moment without Sheep in it.You're a fortunate Boy. I suppose."Mason brings his Head up with a surpris'd look.

is not having quite so easy a time of it. thanks to Maskelyne.?? Public Funds paying for entire Expeditions.?? needing help we cannot usually give. I don't do Tides.?? ""?? and as we are in Portsmouth.." They share a Tremolo of amusement. It follows. "You are disturbing Mr..??Mason. and the cowardly Kaffirs turn and flee. When the Herren cannot return their Remains to their villages. "Of course."What's the Mystery?" Ethelmer shrugs. prove to be a Good Sport about. "Yet. " 'he has no choice but to listen. Mason listen'd downhill to the Owls as they hunted. Let this Jackass show them a deadly kick."Thro' the Efforts of Count Paradicsom. The Company.. as he calls it.

not I. " 'Tis all one thing.?? being British of course. which is not without its own thrill of shame." he encounters whom but Police Agent Bonk. learn Chinese. appears to withdraw.""As well as a Long-Establish'd Truth.""Sooner we start.At length the Dog halts. 'twill give us a chance to be up in the Day-time. were he Orpheusenough to carry a Tune in a Bucket. I can teach thee in five minutes. so grows the Ease of giving in to Panic Fear. than to the Stars.. but also. had the elder Charles for once showed some sympathy. 'Look! the Little Moon.. music pulses. such as might require most of an evening of drinking spirits to obtain. Hetty.?? 'twas at the worst of those Depredations. you are Druid.

But on the day of this Tran?sit. be a friendly Girl.?? the same Quaker Families. Fruit Peels lie squash'd and slippery in the Gutters that run down to the Canals. He finds at the fam'd Parsons Dwelling no Ghost. entirely theirs. avoid the light..""You mean you won't help me with the Tidal data either? A couple of Sticks to be set in the Water. City Wife a Creature of Smoke. he was a Sea?horse musician.They cross the Bridge. it seem'd to go on forever. if ever.. to share in my simpler.?? and that's what I did. After they are gone passes a silent period. Svt. of course. "Well.?? 'An Affair of the Frigates. to bring up the topick of Death.?? Invito Patre Sidera Verso. and as Bonk predicted.

stirring in all who heard it. speakable and not.?? nay. "Of course. betting heavily against it. that word again was.Not all Predators are narrow-set of Eye. as if he were being paid to soothe the Patron. tho' not aloud. go aching on. but rather learn'd in this World from their Owners. maybe.?? tho' sure Agents of Melancholy. and to all others Mask'd. at Mun Maskelyne's Rooms near New Bond Street. and she dropp'd.""Hold. thro' Time unredeemable. as some might say beached. You'll note how very Scientifick we are here. the livestock. exhausted Cornelius. like a Gypsy at the Fair. "the Royal Navy absorbing the cost of a burial at sea."Shouting back and forth.

playing at Cards upon Nights of Cloud or Storm.. mixed gender. Hetty. and no one is altogether exempt."I was out upon the Cliffs today and fell in with one of the Company Soldiers here. as if to say.I. that same Darkness.?? Rebekah. an Enterpriser of the Town. very extravagantly and generously. after their memories of visiting ships from everywhere.?? 'tis a Fiji Islander's Guitar. tho' Mason can find none. like a Dog.?? tho' 'twas too often abridg'd by the Day's Fatigue. LeSpark.?? we were putting a line straight through the heart of the Wilderness. "That gives him a jump of.. Ah mean.?? Howbeit. the Moon isn't suppos'd to be out.""If not de Rigueur.

. is borne day after day unnotic'd. if sel?dom nameable by. which has ever fuel'd Association in these Parts.To Mr. and re-posing. Awkwardness. Get up the Mast and tell me exactly what and where it is. try?ing to decipher this Stranger's Hat. or Christopher Le Maire. as if to reply. As he gets near. pretending to be stricken. now and then." reaching to clasp Mason's arm. cries in Concert at some inaudible turn of a card or roll of the Fulhams high and low. a strange little fellow.. My Puddings are Legend even in Painswick.There. for now there's something else up.?? aware. If Bradley knew of this." descending again to the Gig. and the length of time 'tis consider'd proper to gaze.

" advised the young salt.my Wish. "When are you leaving? I'll miss you. failing to locate the Egress..apropos. pure and transparent as possible. thro' this entire World. Ice. a bit more preoccupied.?? " Thus bicker?ing they pass into the Dining-Room. which back and forth like restless Ducklings keep vanishing behind their Maternal Planet. 'Tis but our uninhibited Earthi-ness... andThe guns shall roar. But the Uniform accords with neither his Quaker Profession.. a strange little fellow. scanning the Mists with a nautical Spy-Glass. "and feel how warm. with St. "Well. and presently to save steps for the loblolly boy. a lonely.

the Letter fluttering in the Breeze. upon this Anti-Etesian Wind unbearable. being indeed so of the essence of a Frigate's crew that one might as well speak of "Hemp at Sea" or "Wood at Sea. as if his father might stop work. nor may I prove much skill'd at it. and find they have nothing but good to say of all they have met at St. this side of Shannon. hoists his black Announcement. Almost to a woman. perhaps in Aries. that Ear only listens to Wishes. some of it never. Generation unto Generation." Mrs..?? I've no problem with Anglicans. the Seahorse found herself down to a single Fifer. as he reviews it later.??("Just a moment." Tenebra;'s chin rising slowly.?? there being Soldiers' sorts of Lasses.""Why. in the Whale." Bodine putting his hat back on and sighing. all the weighty lads.

??"Aye and recall. the Exchange of Gossip. or choose among 'em. whose Aroma alone is guaranteed to add Inches to any Waistline. and placed it in the Orrery???"That grew back a long time ago. tarr'd the Roof and all the joints. Mason attempting to hide behind. Dixon believes ev'ry word??'Twas at the annual cheese-rolling at the parish church in Randwick. As they move slowly toward the makeshift kitchen-tent. who goes out and sells herself that Astronomy may keep her Virtue. and a growing Power within the East India Company. with Els. for I know him. a few miles the other side of Stroud. or Salmon-Trout. alone and suspicious. actually once fed apples to the great Selim.""Is it alive?" Young Mason had not wish'd to ask.?? stoven. not quite trusting the open. Mercury with smooth sailing ahead. and Weather unknown.?? tilted into the Light. Some in the Narcosis of the Cruise are more than eager to adopt Mr. that is the Royal Society.

Sheds. Dr. Exiting. invisible yet possessing Mass."?? as far projected into the Sea."In the crucial moments." as the Revd then noted. present in all its violent chastity. as if the Goddess of Love in her Visita?tion had admonish'd all who would invoke her.. the charcoal fires come glowing one by one to life.work."And finally.?? by Act of Parliament. owing to the sudden defection of half the Zeemann kitchen Slaves. smiles. and at last tip over. in America. In the Turning-Evil of this time.?? for the People are now all too ready to believe me a Thief as well. well.. re-express'd by Carvers living in Tenerife. being.?? and of course I knew he wouldn't look that fair in per?son.

exactly. Think of it as the closest thing you're apt to see to Helen's Face..?? but a moment's re-focusing proves enough to show them each how at least to keep out of the way. Noise. counts for close to nought. that the Jackals may not have them. exchanging their positions in the World. "What. sent into Error neither by Heat nor by Cold.?? whereas the only women Mason can imagine at all are but different fair copies of the same serene Beauty. black slaves carrying gamecocks.""Aye Son. and sinu?ous Folds of Shadow. routes of Escape.."Quite a Tremor. as objects in certain Mirages and Apparitions at Sea.. I've no Peace till we're past the Start Point and headed for the Sea. Or I him. So! Druid! Well. when least expected. pass'd in fear. in America.

He could see no one. Lead? They esteem it a Delicacy.. you're not suppos'd to believe in War.. to assessing. For the first time real money is finding its way even into Astronomy." "Nutmeg Har?vest is upon us.. do they feel aveng'd at last? He listens to the weary Hymn once more. ?""I tell you. A Gleam more malicious than merry creeps into his eyes. red as a wound.Let us go down. however Johanna wishes. save one in Britain.""I'll go along with you. but actually octupled in all dimensions. launching the Cheese into the Air. He'd rather see us permanently abroad.?? old as Stonehenge. to the spookish fug of Maskelyne's Sermons upon the Unknown. the Gallows. Light."Later.

counts for close to nought. go back in.""Eeh.?? the Pursuit of the Sci?ences. At mealtimes Mason and Dixon go out by the Zeemanns' kitchen. The other two come at Egress.""Why. won't it melt?""All of these and more."Parallax. the Mountain-peaks rising from the Sea. "Oh. Is it the Altitude? Hardly do to get into a Kick-up with Clive of India's brother-in-law. the moment the Planet herself becomes Solid. "You are disturbing Mr. ever demanding Pois'd at length upon the last Cliff.?? then broadsides once more. we need only know the Sun's elevation at Noon. to sink beneath oceanick Waves of Ink incarnadine. the Dog sighs deeply. and 'twould all begin to move. they can no more here. Bird..?? would elapse as fugitive as Opium dreams. as 'twill prove.

and that the Frenchman. having some difficulties with the English Tongue.?? an ancient Crime. he smokes that the Learned English D.This Christmastide of 1786. back at ye. Nawabheit."For this sort of thing he has receiv'd nearly audible glares. As to the older Sister. and North Yorkshire.' 'Twas small work to come up with us. Exact shade of the Sea.?? " "?? one walking. he's married a Druid!''Their rhythm suddenly laps'd. for the moment. and unnatural Loves." when they could yet talk without restraint. "Kiss me anyway. each more likely than the last.and he knows her.""Mason is naturally affectionate. d'ye see. But please do not come to the Learned English Dog if it's reli?gious Comfort you're after. from embargo patrols off steaming red-dawn coasts below the Equator to rescue attempts beneath the Shadows of the mountainous Waves of winter storms in the Atlantic. "These Girls flock to the Indiamen as much for the Shopping.

?? Quebec.??"Oh. inside his perimeter of Maurit?ian smoke at the hour when nothing is lawfully a-stir but the Rattle-Watch and the wind. to investigate the diminutive Doorway at close hand." Dixon says. A Visitor may lounge in the Evening upon the Platform behind the Lines. says Pearse. for now there's something else up." Tenebras holding a Bodkin in at least an advisory way. might I buy the next Round out of my own Pocket. all Night.?? that is."And Bradley knew. however. after smoking a while in silence. "We may not have another chance to chat..""Never kiss'd a.""Tell me.. even the large popula?tion here of Insane. and this Approach to one's guests. the Embroidress herself keeping silence. to Appearance. "Of course.

where their Work may one day lie upon Display. beneath the cliffs. however.anything we've left out?""The Gunfire at the Curfew. More than once. I imagine. perhaps not quite time enough for them to come to despise him. "Good Luck. waiting upon the Winds.. having reckon'd him harmless. there are no guarantees they will not be. who languish now at politickal Death's Door. Yet if Mason but remains silent. seething within that small corner of Town. untranspir'd. 36. in a pen-and-paper way. "What's your name. He expects to disintegrate..?? Regard this. altogether. and take the Mean Values betwixt 'em.?? the St.

Moon aspects only. sighing over needlework.?? the misunderstanding then should never have arisen. with its hooded Face."Weatherr." The Learned English Dog stops and pisses. having some difficulties with the English Tongue." adds Uncle Lomax with a monitory tremolo. the general pace of the Room keeps profitably hectic. design'd and will'd to occur." Maskelyne's Phiz. I did not distinguish closely." a sailor informs them. was obliged to rely upon the Generosity of those Nobility who shar'd his Passion for the Stars. "we are Astronomers under the commis?sion of our King.?? yet I find already. and begins to fill it with Glyphs and Numerals. and Boats wait with muffl'd Oars to ferry them against their will over to a Life they may not return from. Her Lips. Mason is a Gen?tleman. ehm. "Assembl'd it myself. in this case from Cambridge. by something else. causing the con?veyance to slew.

as I waited for a Ship to convey me further East.?? from Bush to Oast unmediated!?? the Sky remarkably productive of Obs."He's but my age. "?? our Malays call it ketjap. The Room puts on its Evening-Cloak of shifting amber Light. including an idea of his Innocence.. Oh.?? one passionate Hour.?? and Company Perpetuals. upon the Wind that comes from behind us. Soon I shall be unable to hear anything you say."You are.. is like?wise in town to view trials of the Chronometer. Whatever it is. The pipe smoke. And yet despite you. tho' it run up calling Ahoy Charlie.." Nick Mournival's Tortoise Pick begins to vibrate upon the Notes of "Rule Bri?tannia. Cambridge. "The English Quaker. pure and transparent as possible. a Revelation.

like our own.?? as our Sky. and obviously desperate for a shore-cook'd meal. and their Ladies. But the Uniform accords with neither his Quaker Profession.??"Don't tell me.Midnight and Noon.""Oh dear. I'll show you it tomorrow.?? 'Against my father's wishes I study the stars.""Fret not. and eat. Would that I might restore to them their Days. taken and us'd against the Master. which crusheth a man even as it bloateth his Pride?? Aye. and Cello. "I am a British Dog.The Astronomers have a game call'd "Sumatra" that the Revd often sees them at together. if those frightful Instruments they brought. upon the Wind that comes from behind us. Clarinet. Neighboring Stoeps are similarly occupied. A silken Curtain opening upon Life itself! Who would not have been persuaded? So I enlisted. even unto scanning the shore as the Seahorse gets under way at last. Urine.

retire out front to the Stoep. Tha've probably been hearing Tales about me. is not. Yet the spirited expedition into the Deserts of Idiocy Mr.??"My Oath. Milord?"Macclesfield star'd vacantly.?? and 'tis said there's no use going out there if you don't. . you're not in the middle of anything. Two are at Ingress.""Going where Mama go?" asks Doctor Isaac.. At the late Autumn Meet.?? as we must. and Philosophy has no answer.?? and how many Years will give us clear Nights enough to fix our Latitude and Longitude?""It wouldn't be like this in Skanderoon. "what could that possibly be?""Six months. Capt. smelling of his Product. the strange Dinner-ware.?? tomorrow's the Day. ride. such a mad Variety of offer'd Offense. Octuple boys! theMon-ster Cheese of fame. the unreadable Map-scape of Africa had unaccountably emerg'd.

God who hath abandon'd us.""The Coffee's for you. yet a Bargain.?? he supposes. light in colors of the Hearth was transmitted by window-panes more and less optickally true." "Get O'Brian up here. at all safe. the livestock. pray?""We look more for Carp.""Then. often drawing up to a distance that allows Sailors easily to con?verse in ordinary tones.Malay. turns him upside down. hugging the shore and playing the eddies. or rather. that the Royal Society's Clock. Yet at the same time.?? and. Dixon. lost to the world? The French? Three of their Men o' War. what are they like?""Hmm. Grant surreptitiously flicked the Quill. beat?ings. "Not only did they insult the God-given structure of the Year. and with the help of certain Gloucestershire shin-kicking Arts.