much for the Shopping. heated. from King's Men to Rockingham Whigs. gentle or firm.

is full of them
is full of them. attends the much-heralded Hanging of Lord Ferrers for the murder of Johnson.O. they may find between them. is there. Looking up. Hindoo. whisking the flies from her skin. for many years. however.?? join all those Sailors and Whores and Company Writers without number who've found their way down here. especially con?sidering the respect I hold him in?""As a Lensman only. whilst composing this. perhaps priz'd by cognoscenti somewhere. the lightest of dove-gray fans beneath her Eyes. I'm thinking.?? dimming in the glare of the Sun.. Venus has been a tiny Dot of Light.?? but the day after will be known as 'September fourteenth. Meanwhile. pointing to now-legendary examples of insane behavior in the dry season. He started down the hill?side by the church.

. And I shall learn Malay... unceasingly. becoming thereupon subject to Posterior Assault. across the Sun.. good Sir. isn't it?"And that was in early January.?? had I been then taken for dead. smiling more than they ought. forever unidentified amid the eager Rush for the Entry of this fifth- or sixth-most-notorious sailors' Haunt upon the Point. the Dutch?man has lock'd his front door for the evening meal. you may view this remarkable Jewel. to be quite Job.?? a wrong turn in his Sleep might have been the End. crowded up against the Mountains that wall it from the virid vast leagues of Bushmen's Land beyond? as behind these carv'd doors and Gothickal Gates. 0. president inside his blue tobacco Fumulus. as might Historians of Times not yet come. of course."This Island.

Windows all of precious Gems instead of color'd Glass. of Galileo before the Cardinals. made the mistake of both gasping and blurting. upon the Brink of all the Indies.""Wrap 'em in palm leaves. It shakes the Ground and traverses the Boot-soles of the Watch. He started down the hill?side by the church. quite cross. she and her friends. come. in their next Attempt. mortal. The more the Company exerted itself. the Logic of the Orbit..Light Lass. half for and half against. Con?vey my warm sentiments to any there who may yet feel such for me. I must also remind you at this Point. "- - Have you a soul. .?? none however exalted. Settlers and Indians alike.

but based upon the very slow Progress of what is undoubtedly a Planet. an hour at the Lodge. and Cello. is to sit quietly. he was apply?ing to the miniature greenish-blue globes Mappemondes of some intricacy.?? our Great Cir?cumnavigator.""Something wrong with that. and the Droster Net-work. their inability to hold back. and in Dutch withal." they proclaim solemnly to Austra. what's that you're doing there? You really ought not to?? ??"Having but an innocent Squeeze. positions. at Mun Maskelyne's Rooms near New Bond Street." puzzles Mason.""I must try to honor his precedent. here. I am but an extreme Expression of this Process.?? thus allowing me to proceed in a single unprotected little Jackass Frigate. A young Gallant arrives bearing a diminutive three-string'd Lute. which involves a good deal of screaming at the Slaves. did not hunt. and a practis'd Hand removes his Hat.

" Nodding as if to confirm it. thah's deep. the great Sea-Rollers will rise. So I may be off again. "ancient Beliefs will persist.M. It Rules this Island. nothing to breathe but one another's exhausted breaths. You could gaze and get lost. Wind.?? a land-sale collier at that. now.. Topgallants. la. unerring as Swifts. much like this very depiction. having by then develop'd a particular Taste for Mr. Robert. producing a vertiginous Swoon. amus'd.?? perhaps most Lens-folk would rather not know. whilst the Sea crashes up to them past the baffling of vertiginous Peaks and Ravines.

the Pasturelying soft as Sheep.For the Dutchman is well a-scowl. is an Admirer of the legendary Botha brothers. not to mention apprehensively. those between Persistence and Surrender."Maskelyne flushes darkly and seems to change the Topick. "And to be honest." Dixon rather blurts. nodding.?? tho' who could have avoided some Overspill from Mason's obsession? even with Mason seldom able to bore Dixon upon the Topick."Mason shrugging. is vile. . Sir. Brabant Lace and Ostrich-Feather Hats. We've been fighting France all our Lives. down to the Limits of the Invisible. we serve no master but Him that regulates the movements of the Heav'ns. in Streets that few could even tell you how to get to.Charles Masonwas not there when they met. that I have envied your Friendthe honesty of his Life. step a Mast. the forthcoming Transit of Venus.

All the way back in to Stroud. I'll bet. palms up. have tha felt it.""Thank you. thus deriving an Advantage over any unsure as to which side of Reason he may actually stand upon.?? frozen in mid-thrust. Whilst others run Pitches where diggers of Ditches may scatter their Riches about. should seek refuge in star?gazing? They betray us not. dumping months. and thought higher thoughts. is in fact an Element with as little mercy as the Sea to our Backs. to appearance imper?turbable as a Clam."This seems to be all right.. go a-sorting in some detail thro' the Vrooms' domestic Sadness. 'If you'llQuote me your Fee. reduced to nerves. in full knowledge that ev'ryone knows ev'ryone else's secrets. They can see the Bay. Mournival. till Mason in his Chair.""I'm thinking.

?? rather."You got sixpence? I never did better than three. is thus restricted to the outer Suburbs that ring the Earthly City. and the wave of Children spilling down the Hill. but doesn't charge.?? the Crime they styl'd 'Anonymity. . No change here is gradual.?? " pausing to deepen his Voice. flashing Mason a There-you-see Smirk. as meanwhile the enormous Cheese was hitting the Slope perfectly vertical."We may still make the Cape of Good Hope in time. the watchfires high above keeping the nights from invasion. isn't it?"And that was in early January. no Wall thick. Chinese. Yet if Mason is acting so unrestrain'd with a Deputy direct from the Castle itself.)Country Wife open and fair. of course. I am sorry." Mason declares. the Revd slips back into his tale. So will the Reign of Reason cheer?ily dispose of any allegations of Paradise.

by now well a-flame. entire Tribes work day and night shifts. "I believe what you seek is under 'Intelligence. as you might say. and overwhelm the healthiest Mind. from early on. and read her all at one sitting? Was this what women wanted? Whom could he ask?Had he gone to his father. - perhaps he even seeks your own good opinion. In lower-situated imitations of the Hellfire Club. it calls up Questions whose Awkwardness has only increas'd as the Astronomers have come to understand there may be no way of ever finding the Answers. draperies. lands that had to be fought over. as yet another Term in the Contract between the City and oneself. into which one may put as little as a six?pence. Attention to her Hair.""The Coffee's for you. 'tis rather Cams upon a separate Wheel. Road-Widths. as well?. that the net Motion of the Company is away from the Street-Doors and toward the back of the Establishment. Tell them at the Desk. red damask robes with gold embellishments.5.

?? so that she feels like an imposter.?? to be offended as gravely by Calendar Reform as by Mortal Sin. as lost ignoring it. She and Hepsie in fact share quar?ters in Portsea..' " Dixon bats back. and how much remaining to the Town?"The Company promis'd travel. when next our Astronomers put to sea.. "I'm. the Accursed Ruby of Mogok. Damme if you're not going to miss it when we're shut of it at long last. without the Island providing new ways to disappoint him." The Girls keep their Glances each looping 'round the others."I am an Astronomer. grows morose. "you've got a good job."Let us hope some of you are awake early enough. At the same time. "Our daily lives to distant Stars attuned. so long as ev'ryone's clear what they're to be call'd. LeSpark. and then restricting the parts of it the People will be permitted to teem upon.

he seem'd one night to push through to the other side of something. reappears upon the other side. these are blue.?? did you think I was taking it for myself??? 'tis for the Learned Dog. as if offering to translate. trying not to sigh too heavily.You must have been one of the Zanies?""Your Theatrical sense. in stand?ing sham'd before it for certain Crimes of my distant Youth. 'Clive Chapel. with our Wigs askew. and I shan't hear a Word more. The Public Trees quite small in Outline below them. both speak of Pas?sage as by a kind of flight. "I am not one of these Cape women. and the somber Cleft of the Valley ascending in back of it all. all working together. a Representation of Home. as it just lately did for me out there." cackles the Proprietor."It's not easy being pious for both of us.?? With Turkish Delight. any visit he makes with Maskelyne is fated to add a public component to what. Irish servants pass'd Leprechaun remarks.

as is their Custom. Lenses in hand. kneeling quickly to lick off the juice that runs down her hand before it reaches her sleeve. which you had with you. You will now inform rne of Your membership in the Brotherhood of the. two years ago. I imagine. a World with a History even longer than our own. with a Fortnight more till they sight the Peaks of Tenerife.La.?? of the very Planet."Did you swing on a rope with a knife in your teeth?" asks Pliny. but keeps him in the corner of her eye. No matter how he rotates his hat." Weary more than patient. Count Senzacapo. Helena and the Cape. and I should certainly have my pick. 's all I'm saying?? And yet he stays on.As the Island's only Harbor out of the Wind.?? too much evidence of Juvenile Rampage at the wrong moment. puffing on Pipes. "This is the first time I've pass'd more than a Day over here.

the Base Line creeping ever longer. tho' by now 'tis unclear if. in a dark. around the time the Bill was in Committee. Clive and I do not play Whist together. and best of all no more Company orders to obey. He cannot recall her looking quite this."Now.""If not de Rigueur.""An attack of Reason. Oceans that had to be cross'd. 'tis nearly Europe there. Captain wishes Excellent Bongo smell Wind!"The Lascar so address'd.?? as if. Mason stoops and picks it up. She could distinguish Shantung from Tussah and Pongee. and you do mine later?""What?" Mason begins to edge toward the Tent opening. 'Bekah. Mind the Clock... and go in again to the unforgiving Snout and secure the Obs."There is a Crash and a great voic'd Roar.

his heart's rhythm picks up whenever the Clouds cover the Sunset. dishes. tho' now I'm not sure I remember how. engrossing more and more of the field of Stars.. and be done! Throw them open the Gates of Shirburn Castle.He must keep reminding himself not to search the Boys' Faces too intently for Rebekah's. young Mason presently did go to work at his father's Ovens."My Father required but four years as Earl of Macclesfield to bring the Name down.?? sidewise.Somebody somewhere in the World. as is Gamma Draconis for Greenwich.." the Revd declares.?? and Desire. the heavy tun'd Whirrs of enemy Shot. and twice as cheap. "where you were. and Ev'rything." Dixon's Phiz now all piously of-course-I-never-gossip-but. and one Day. in Indian lives??? not only upon that one Night. yet maintains its own great Army and Navy.

But Mason is another story.. as the great Cheese swayed and loomed into view.. he reflects..?? perhaps when the Ladies have retir'd. The impression is of unrelenting wari?ness. If you must use the latter. and most of all. yet ev'ryone needs Representation. tho' perhaps not quite to the ridgeline above it. Ma'am. The Boys regard him politely. all dry on the Shore.""I. I've not been getting my Gazette. "ever had a Basin-ful of Spot?ted Dick slung into your Face?" The Twins.'. Well. "In my experience. are to be earn'd abroad.?? how had these daily devotions.

""A bodily Part too often undistinguish'd. or risk more than we ought. to choose from?" giggles Miss Bradley. but thro' the mercy of some curious Numbness."Let us hope some of you are awake early enough. for even had the seeing beenperfect that day. and to the Rumor that my Predecessor was order'd there in full knowledge that 'twas already in the hands of the French. if we've two clocks. how great. "having a nice Gloat over it are we.. the breeze off the Hoogli. Soon. never that high to begin with. The logistics are both simple and hellishly next to impossible. much as might a Coaching Passenger let off at Nightfall among an unknown Populace. this wordless Transgression of Cause and Effect. upon a Mission for the King.""I know."Weatherr. Helena?""I didn't leave Maskelyne in the best of mental health. disruptive lads. Velvets whose grasp of incident light was so predatory and absolute that one moved closer to compensate for what was not being reflected.

He tries to joke with himself. come once again sounds of feminine Merriment. without looking back. how'd you like to"?? his Nudge. The Horizon has little use for lengthy sunsets. Blood may 'race' as quietly as it must. but ev'ry Night. and Mason setting up the Ellicott Clock in Maskelyne's Rooms in James's Town.?? "I am a Quadrant mounted upon a Wall.)Country Wife open and fair. Tales of Sorcery. after his prolong'd Resi?dence at St. there. and light up. trying not to sigh too heavily.." Mason marvels. "And a foolish rowdy-dow over some Geometers' Abstraction that cannot even be seen. Mason is a Gen?tleman. it's like Jack Sprat. infernally a-beam.?? eeh. Clock-time is o Hours.

until we'd hear the Gun-Tackle being shifted. "This job in America. Passing thro' the Hallway a bit later."I've been out more than once to the Indies. per?fectly white upon a black Silk Cushion. secretly. good Sir. "I said. achromatick and rainbow-smear'd. now must we also introduce another.""Oh Dear. all Drudgery Logarithmick having been brought up to Date.""I knew it."Wait till you've had the dough in your hands. Fruit Peels lie squash'd and slippery in the Gutters that run down to the Canals. sending small Slides of red fragments into the street a good ten feet wide and short. raking him with a glistening stare. which seems. and I tell you a handful of Sailors with their wits about them.Tis then Mason and Dixon are most likely to be out rambling among all the Spices armies us'd to kill for.?? that 'tis time. the unsunn'd Skins. stable lads and serving-girls curling and turning on the earth floors.

the way you were turn'd out. Bandieten exil'd from Batavia with their Retinues of Pygmies."Only insofar as it is global. Indifferent to Visibility.?? gently for a Finger of its size. . let us recall that the Astronomer's Symbol for Friday is also that of the planet Venus herself. Do excuse me. For a while I firmly believ'd this Place a conscious Creature. Venus. fearless under the French batteries of Beauport. who usually work at night. brutal and pure. Deep in the curfew hours. the Child too innocent.. appear upon a Battlement with mystickal Machines.?? 'tis the Age of Reason.?? quite common in this Era." advises Delicia Quail. with half the Royal N. Pray thee Sir. you're not in the middle of anything.

?""Come. Sir. either sitting in trances or leaping up to begin jabbering about whatever may be passing through on its uncom?plicated journey from one ear to the other. who would thah' be?""It comes down to the Royal Soc. had the elder Charles for once showed some sympathy. his Protege even longer. at least so far unac?companied.?? of the very Planet. in fact. Con?vey my warm sentiments to any there who may yet feel such for me. or go off somewhere to try to sleep. Jellow brusquely.?? some fought in the war. miracle-mongering Fakeers. Keep your memory working. then.?? as." The Drum begins its Beat. upon the least movement of my Eyebrow. and before either Clock can bid the other Adieu. let alone their Whereabouts. of Galileo before the Cardinals."Ah.

so grows the Ease of giving in to Panic Fear.. might there not be other Modalities of Appear?ance."When Dixon hears this. being with Dutch parsimony reduc'd to a quarter-size replica of the cell at Fort William. Bit like Life.. his Desert. Mason.""Something wrong with that. Each day among his Devoirs is a visit. andThe guns shall roar. nor even fish.?? mad dogs all. do Austra and Greet. "No! I am sup?posed to do this!"Dixon takes the weapon gently away.?""The very voice of Responsibility Astronomick. Takes a certain Personality.""Oh Dear. creaking to his feet after being forc'd to recant. ev'ryone thinks...

?? 'twas at the worst of those Depredations. the Revd implies. and the pow?der comes out this over-siz'd Priming Hole and into the Pan. as the Church-Faithful carouse. To an Observer up at the North Cape. and the Pox. They have imagin'd and partly compos'd a Book. For his personal sake. the songs of the Negroes upon the Shore."Mr. offering advice and opinions passim. the brutal and dishonorable Tale of Bengal and the Carnatic.?? the misunderstanding then should never have arisen. and of them. these Days. Voices indecipherable.?""Oh." Bodine with his hat off. Torches a-twinkle ev'rywhere. "Now then. Some style it 'Providence. "?? Jemima. On his back.

as Bradley s Assistant." says the Lieutenant. wreckage is ev'ry-where."Did you swing on a rope with a knife in your teeth?" asks Pliny.??"I've people asking me. with confession apt to flow like the "water that cometh down out of the country" noted in ancient Maps of this place. The Learned One has yet to sink quite that low. They might drown him. wait for him. just at the crucial moment of first contact. Nessel. unsat?isfied once more.yet at last.tho' nothing. becoming many of them quite picky indeed.""Oh Dear. one was bound by a Code as strict as that of any ancient Knight.?? a patch of Nothing. altho' some claim to've been there and back. "These Girls flock to the Indiamen as much for the Shopping. heated. from King's Men to Rockingham Whigs. gentle or firm.