¡¶The Bloody chamber And Other Stories¡·


 Contents

the Bloody Chamber

    tship of Mr Lyon

    tigers Bride

    Puss-in-Boots

    the Erl-King

    the Snow Child

    the house of Love

    the erewolf

    the Company of olves

    olf-Alice

 The Bloody Chamber-1

    I remember  nig in a tender, delicious ecstasy of excitement, my burning c t mimicking t of t pistons ceaselessly ting train t bore me t, aude of my motment, into try of marriage.

    And I remember I tenderly imagined  t, my mot t beting atle relics, tumbled garments I  need any more, trunks, t programmes Id abandoned; sorn ribbon and t faded pograpions of a  of my bridal triump a pang of loss as if, o be her child in becoming his wife.

    Are you sure, sic box t  me, issue paper and red ribbon like a Cmas gift of crystallised fruit. Are you sure you love oo; black silk, ic ser, finer turous girler of a ricea planter. My eagle-featured indomitable mot otudent at toire could boast t faced a junkful of Ces; nursed a village tation of t a man-eating tiger h her own hand and all before she was as old as I?

    quot;Are you sure you love ;

    quot;Im sure I  to marry ; I said.

    And ance t s at last banisre of poverty from its ual place at our meagre table. For my motly beggared  soldier never returned from tears t never quite dried, a cigar box full of medals and tique service revolver t my motly eccentric in  always in icule, in case -- eased pads on he grocers shop.

    Noarburst of ligtered t up all tations tion of tin nig been ss  ed breasts and s of er, and noeasingly caressed me, egregious, insinuating, nudging beted restlessly in my narroongue and teet and a rasp of beard ed to me, te tact as tdress , il ral bed in t, pinnacled domain t lay, still, beyond tion. . . t magic place, tle ion in ion, my destiny.

    Above ted roar of train, I could eady breating door kept me from my  stood open. If I rose up on my elborils caug male scent of leat alting-room, for, tly as if all , as if fall turned t into snow.

    o surprise me in my abstracted solitude at tell t to announce ly creep up be of - in a Debussy prelude. But trayed er my first so mimic surprise, so t  be disappointed.

    reaks of pure silver in  range,   lined by experience. Rato  perfectly smootone on a beacides. And sometimes t face, in stillness o me playing,  alurbed me by te absence of ligo me like a mask, as if  truly reflected all t me, before, even, I  face lay underneato offer my youthe years.

    And, elsew see , where?

    In, per castle to ook us, t marvellous castle in which he had been born.

    Even ;, still  lose t  must seem a curious analogy, a man  sometimes o me like a lily. Yes. A lily. Possessed of t strange, ominous calm of a sentient vegetable, like one of te s of a flesensely yielding to touc I   out a long, extinguis: O  me! and it  of  not and, not by virtue of its violence but because of its very gravity.

    , a fire opal t in a complicated circle of dark antique gold. My old nurse, ed at t t, given to an ancestor by Cat came to tle , time out of mind. And did  to  back from t s my marital coup -- tle Marquise -- be-finding. But, oucurned my back pettis  to be reminded  ten teased me in the small hours.

    I een and knetle bemused t, after t still in mourning for  sk, tsk,  my old nurse. And even my motant to see ly bereaved. A Romanian countess, a lady of  t mont ing accident, at tany. t I rummaged ty magazines my old nanny kept in a trunk under racked doy, ty, naugent and bizarre c,  ural at must erior decorators jungle filled ted palms and tame, squas.

    Before t? y; everyone painted  t, tar alking on t. to see al, enigmatic grace, you martre until Puvis de C breasts and elongated to  it hey said.

    t of all  sumptuous diva; I  I aken to treat. My first opera; I   you could tell s o  sill alive (oook icky little o comfort me, in t act, yet all I he glory of her voice.

    Married times ime to t graces, noo demonstrate ticism of aste, ed me to join tiful  still bore ts from w ly been freed, my bony s fingers.

    before our  tess ly gone -- ook my moto see tristan. And, do you kno I t I must truly love ed like to let us t ouch.

    ances  time I uous c carry suc in a loge, in red velvet armc us a silver bucket of iced cerval. t: My cup runnet dress. ant moto let rousseau; ied ring under ts. And everyone stared at me. And at .

    , clasped round my t. A c t. After terror, in tory, tos  just t aken ion, ure of luxurious defiance! t nig to me even noe dress; t; and t, brigerial blood.

    I saing cuts on t regard of ; and it rangely magnified by t eye.  me , I dropped my eyes but, in glancing a like t cruel necklace became me. And, for t time in my innocent and confined life, I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption t took my breath away.

    t day, we were married.

    train sloo-be-visited station; silence of t; t I s of my life. And I could not sleep. I stealt up, raised ttle and  t misted over  at tform toangles of domestic lamp lig promised ove for tation master, ucked up in bed asleep in ted sters. . . all tunning marriage, had exiled myself.

    Into marriage, into exile; I sensed it, I kne -- t,  t  of t of t glimmered like a gypsys magic ball, so t I could not take my eyes off it  of Russian leato seduce me so utterly t I could not say I felt one single t for tartines and maman t noring, like a coy, as train began to ted anticipation of tance it ake me.

    t grey streamers of tc seeped into t my ened excited senses told me  me. A ionless as t Egyptians painted upon t a certain tension in t of my stomaco be so ccruck. ing a Romeo y Julieta fat as a babys arm.

    quot;Soon,quot;  voice t olling of a bell and I felt, all at once, a sion of dread t lasted only as long as tce, broad face as if it ed from beloesque carnival ment  made me ttle girl, before  me and died.

    As soon as my ep of train, I smelled tic salinity of t rees, stunted by tlantic gales,  ed but for ered cing meekly beside tor car. It  me, a ripes of ermine and sable, o you, I il I met raining train leapt its leas us at t lonely   man in France.

    quot;Madame.quot;

    to tess, tists model, tem of soft so rick -- but t ts simmering flas ive I o noreaked ry bouquet of pink of roses, orange of tiger-lilies, as if my . the day broke around me like a cool dream.

    Sea; sand; a sky t melts into ty pastels  it of being continuously on t of melting. A landscape  udes I played for  afternoon in t met ea-cups and ttle cakes, I, t of cy to give tive of music.

    And, ale. tude of ts turrets of misty blue, its courtyard, its spiked gate, le t lay on t its attics, ts opening on to t departures of t off by tide from land for  castle, at er, a mysterious, ampravening teriality of bots, endlessly, for a lover w lovely, sad, sea-siren of a place!

    tide  t of turned on to t cobbles beter,  for my  ry, c, pressed my fingers, kissed my palm raordinary tenderness. ill as ever Id seen it, still as a pond iced t  alrangely red and naked bettle. he smiled; he welcomed his bride home.

    No room, no corridor t did not rustle ors in tern regalia of rank lined up e faces, ippled ed ligion; t luminous murmurous castle of tle music student  toire.

    First of all, tial intervie traordinary macellated ocean liner, in smootter enuous, I t, migy arce linen ing, correct but lifeless, coo mucatus. . . briefly all my old nurse, so mucent, in old me ter moto most feudal complicity, quot;as muc of t; Nole smile. S, I must be content.

    But,  o be content. In turret suite  over tumultuous Atlantic and imagine myself tein for me in t -- an early Flemisive of Saint Cecilia at ial organ. In t, o be. I o a loving sensitivity I  o suspected in e spiral staircase to my bedroom; before sly vanis ive Breton. t I did not understand. t o interpret.

    And tary matrimonial bed, itself t, of my little room at s surfaces of ebony, vermilion lacquer, gold leaf; and its ains, billoately frames of contorted gold, t reflected more o greet t multitude of girls I saical in tailor-mades, for travelling, madame, or hing.

    quot;See,quot; uring to girls. quot;I ;

    I found t I rembling. My breat meet urned my  of pride, out of sceasingly, unfasten ttons of my jacket and slip it from my s; and next t linen t cost more t communion. tside in ttered on s seemed to me deliberately coarse, vulgar. to my face again, and stayed there.

    And yet, you see, I guessed it mig ered as my life o s of his world?

    ripped me, gourmand t ripping tic do not imagine muc it; ticicular treat for t in any greedy e. reat ite. And , palpitating core remained, I sacion  permitted us to be alone togeticklike limbs, naked but for ton boots,  repository of y; and tailoring; s pornograpations. And so my purc t seen my fles to feel myself stirring.

    At once  of  meant he smiled.

    Not yet. Later. Anticipation is ter part of pleasure, my little love.

    And I began to s also  botrange, impersonal arousal at t of love and at time a repugnance I could not stifle for e,  oo muc filled my bedroom in great glass jars, takers lilies  poe  are ain you.

    tuarys life ly terminated. It turns out o attend to; ates,  kissed me before  me alone , silken brus of ted tip of tongue. Disgruntled, I ique lace around me to sip ttle breakfast of  ce t me; after t, since it ure to me, to go but ttled do my piano.

    Yet only a series of subtle discords flo of tune. . . only a little out of tune; but Id been blessed  pitc bear to play any more. Sea breezes are bad for pianos; uner on to continue udies! I flung dotle fury of disappointment; w s il my husband beds me?

    I so t.

    ual odour of Russian leat lettering on tavo in brilliant scarlet morocco. A deep-buttoned leato recline on. A lectern, carved like a spread eagle t  an edition of e private press; it s dearest blood, came from Isfaed case t ill crisp and neo me. I squinted at a title or tiation, teries, t of Pandoras Box, and yao detain a seventeen-year-old girl ing for  embrace. I s of all, a novel in yelloed to curl up on ticky liqueur ces. If I rang for tes.

    Neverto broingle of tips, even before I opened t slim volume itle at all on t I s, dearly prized,  ed t  I  bargained for tears uck pearls,  a split fig belo globes of tocks on ails of t  to descend, ar ure ion quot;Reproof of curiosity.quot; My motricity, old me   lovers did; I  but not naive. tures of Eulalie at turk ed, according to terdam in 1748, a rare collectors piece. or broug back  norty? Or  it for y little books Bank acles an inco inspect urned ticipation of fear; t y. eel engraving: quot;Immolation of tanquot;. I kne book to make me gasp.

    t intensification of t suffused he massacre.

    quot;My little nun ; ure of mockery and relis,  me aloud, snatc it dohe sofa.

    quot;y pictures scared Baby? Baby mustnt play oys until so  s;

    time, no reticence. ively upon my breast, beneat lace. I stumbled on tair t led to to tammered foolis taken lunc; and, besides, it is broad daylight. . .

    All tter to see you.

    on my crembling fingers, I fastened t my neck. It ed it off my s ter kiss t made me soo. , oned: quot;Of ains/Only ;

    A dozen rapezes in ty air outside.

    I ent selepertorously, as if ing  one-sided struggle, I ter like a porcelain vase flung against a  its mask; and per. Yet I ely disy.

    I gatogeto t concealed telep in Ne.

    I s body in my arms. ant bees. My il it looked like an embalming parlour. t lilies, t ributing t incense reminiscent of pampered flesh.

    , urned to me and stroked t bit into my neck, but enderness no I ceased flincs. My dear one, my little love, my c  , sucuousness,  ative of  my tears in a flood. I clung to ed t me for suffering it. For a ions of t tendrils of my tons of , kissed my cold me t from Ne  leave as soon as tide  least six weeks.

    quot;But it is our ;

    A deal, an enterprise of o t illness of tle girl, I did not understand. And, o my y, I oo many o find t pressing commitments. I knoe  t ones and ts of dead beasts  run a, after  to book a passage for tates next day -- just one tiny call, my little one -- ogether.

    And I o be content .

    A Mexican dis s and ce; salad; uous c of muscat grapes and Asti spumante. A celebration of Krug exploded festively. And ttle cups so fine it sed. I reau,  curtains dra t, o perco te little Poiret s of s suff, tle soft  sleep, eac  let me take off my ruby c able, nor fasten up my descending y so recently ruptured t still remained a tle.

    ts already,quot; ;e do not s out of to prove to ttany you are a virgin, not in times. But I sell you it ime in all my married lives I could erested tenants suc;

    t must  captivated  music, enasse des audiences au clair de lune played upon a piano  remember  ease I  luxurious place, ant companion during tsyr yrised my o kno my naivety gave ake . Courage! I s to tue of default.

    t teasingly, as if  mysterious treat, ook out a buncerior  -- key after key, a key,  te, almost baroque;  ake care of them all.

    I eyed tion. Until t moment, I  given a single t to tical aspects of marriage

    man, ed into cellars for y bottles ined in racks all tle . to tco ture gallery, a treasure uries of avid collectors -- ahere.

    aste for ts, old me  of greed. t portrait of  im  of tory of ting of t picture? ook off  time, smartre, sarily in a blus reddened s,  of t story, of t dear girl, e Gauguins, e tranced broed  of t e Come, Into t e Go. And, besides tions ance of atteaus, Poussins and a pair of very special Fragonards, commissioned for a licentious ancestor reasures abruptly.

    Your te face, c for t time. Your te face, s promise of debaucect.

    A log fell in tigating a sed green flame. I felt so giddy as if I  so mucrous presence, ed at birty t of us, t, even  in love ly oppressed me. . . No. I  afraid of  of myself. I seemed reborn in ive eyes, reborn in unfamiliar sion of me and yet, and yet -- mig be a grain of beastly trut, I blusiced, to t alent for corruption.

    o t -- dont laug closet, and a queens ransom in Limoges. And a key to tions of plate are kept.

    Keys, keys, keys. rust me o o  turned to Paris. Suco cimes a day, just as to ced,   served e so interested in ificates altely more.

    Outside our firelit privacy, I could ide dra ime for o leave me. One single key remained unaccounted for on tated over it; for a moment, I t o unfasten it from its brot back into  and take it ah him.

    quot; is t key?quot; I demanded, for ;to your ? Give it me!quot;

    antalisingly above my  of reacraining fingers; those bare red lips of his cracked sidelong in a smile.

    quot;A; ;Not to my . Rato my enfer.quot;

    it on tened toget musically, like a carillon. tal c over me to drop a beard-masked kiss on my forehead.

    quot;Every man must , even if only one, from ; ;Promise me t t last little one I se; make toy boats of my sificates, if it pleases you, and send to America after me. All is yours, every t ts. Yet all it is is to a little room at t of t to ttle corridor full of   into your en you if you ventured t suctle room! But you must promise me, if you love me, to leave it  is only a private study, a ;denquot;, as times, on t yet inevitable occasions o savour t;

    ttle tarligyard as,  elepaken a piano-tuner on to taff; to take up ies t day. o , once, and then drove away.

    I  afternoon and no sleep. I lay tossing and turning in ral bed until anot  ions of t t, s ained t toad-like, clammy  of moisture, I felt a vague desolation t ain queasy craving like t aste of coal or cainted food, for t ed to me, in ersections of flesy.

    I lay in bed alone. And I longed for ed me. ere to recompense me for t? Did all t castle o recompense me for tine  s? And ure of my desirous dread for terious being wo sery over me, ?

    t straig  me, not for all Street but for an importunate mistress tucked aer to, only by tice of scales and arpeggios? And, sloo t t given myself  unmixed tle tincture of relief.

    At last I drifted into slumber, as daylig t t, all jar of lilies beside torted t stems so ting droo greeniser.

    Coffee and croissants to console tary ion of comb on a glass saucer. tic juice from an orange into a c ing pleasure except to  tuner  , I sprang out of bed and pulled on my old serge skirt and flannel blouse, costume of a student, in  ease hes.

    After my tice, I called tuner in, to t young, le mout fixed upon me alt see me. er in t augrade so t  satisfactory. Yes.   sometimes be alloo ainly. o kno I had smiled.

 The Bloody Chamber-2

    After I dismissed e, it ill barely time for my quot;five oclockquot;. tfully foreing my music, noation e luncold  need it, s me obliquely, along ood at once t one of my principal functions as celaine o provide aff. But, all ted myself and said I  until dinner-time, alto tary meal. to tell  I o ion, still t of a sc. A foe Cmas urkey? No; I s of it, folloree at all. But surprise me for dessert ed all do sniffed; Id sastes! C I , now. . . w shall I do, now?

    I could  a runks t contained my trousseau but t already, tailor-mades s on  as if all te objects ating to mock me. I did not like to linger in my overcroed bedroom. ime?

    I sake a bataps tle dolpurquoise for eyes. And tank of goldfis of moving fronds of , as I  me.  o c uner . . . but I kneures of friendso taff.

    I o defer t I so look foro in te of time I foresaer my dinner , at a quarter before seven, ain myself no longer. I teleponising into tears when I heard her voice.

    No, notter. Motaps.

    I said, gold bataps!

    No; I suppose ts noto cry about, Mother.

    t ulations, ions,  I tle comforted, he receiver down.

    Yet till remained one  of t of the evening.

    t tal so t t cold to touc , as my o a trap for o terior doors of te and tress and , I felt tion of the explorer.

    Ligs!

    At  touccly illuminated. I ran crazily about tle, sc I could find -- I ordered ts to ligers, too, so tle s life, and everybody on s it.  as brigimidated me, for I ermined, noo searcrue nature.

    , evidently.

    A mater and a bank of telep contained tly among to find out o a jinns treasure -- parures, bracelets, rings. . . ered before I spoke; a subtle discourtesy. I o my  it. S superciliously; did madame plan to dress for dinner?

    So , s imagine -- to dress up in one of my Poiret extravaganzas, urban and aigrette on my o to sit do t massive board at o s. . . I greed tions of an officers daug dress for dinner. Furt self. S tell to cancel tory feast Id ordered. Could t?

    Mais oui, madame.

    I kneonation I  t I did not care; I  t I  find  amongst ttering stones; as soon as sematic searche drawers of his desk.

    All  a random doodle on an old envelope, nor tograpailors, t-doux from international financiers. Noto impress me strangely; t, I t, be a great deal to conceal if akes suco .

    o tyard, as ted to turn o keep a clear ed a small businessman in Amsterdam or -- I noticed aste -- engage in some business in Laos t must, from certain cryptic references to eur botanists ento do  rico do  crime? Or self ? And yet I sae his zeal for secrecy.

    Noing every last letter back races of my visit, by some ctle dra uck fast, I must ouc dra draself; and t draained -- at last! -- a file marked: Personal.

    I  for my reflection in tained window.

    I ion t , pressed flat as a floisue paper, lay in t hin one.

    I could  found t touc note, on a paper napkin marked La Coupole, t began: quot;My darling, I cannot  for t ; t ristan, tod, ic ;Until. . .quot; scra. But trangest of all tters card ains,  a grave; ttle scene, executed ioned: quot;typical transylvanian Scene -- Midnig; And, on t;On to t of Dracula -- alainty t one is doing evil. toutes amities, C.quot;

    A joke. A joke in t possible taste; for  been married to a Romanian countess? And tty, ty face, and  recent predecessor in tle   sopicated.

    I put a to  s least,  reveal any good reason for it. But I ed to knoill more; and as I closed t, to discover more fell in my way.

    Fell, indeed; and ter of a dropped canteen of cutlery, for, as I turned trived, someo open up tself, so t all tumbled loose on t key I picked out of t pile une , to t o feel himself once more a bachelor.

    I made my decision to explore it before I felt a faint resurgence of my ill-defined fear of illness. Per I miging to see if indeed I   a moving figure of o Neic, self-sustaining carapace of orm of orgasm, occupied e business in tudy at t of t to, if t  ive t I soo deluded by  taste for me to t truly offend him.

    I took t there.

    It e and tle , as far as it could go from t ocean  floated, like a garland of lig, all still, but for the waves.

    I felt no fear, no intimation of dread. Now I walked as firmly as I hers house.

    Not a narroy little passage at all;  an ill-lit one, certainly; tricity, for some reason did not extend reated to till-room and found a bundle of apers in a cupboard, stored tco lig grand dinners. I put a matco my little taper and advanced  in my ent along tian, tapestries. t  of a  in ed ed some grisly myt. t imperceptible ramp to ted floor. tsteps, even my breat gre sprang out in beads on my brow. I could no longer he sea.

    A long, a le; and to a door of en oak, loopped, barred h black iron.

    And still I felt no fear, no raising of thumbs.

    to t knife into butter.

    No fear; but ation, a ual breath.

    If I found some traces of  in a file marked: Personal, pererranean privacy, I migtle of  y of sucs possible strangeness, t kept me for a moment motionless, before in tly tainted innocence I turned the door creaked slowly back.

    quot;triking resemblance bet of love and trations of a torturer,quot; opined my e poet; I ure of t similarity on my marriage bed. And noaper slines of a rack. t yrdoms of ts, in my old nurses little store of  one glimpse of it before my little flame caved in and I  in absolute darkness -- a metal figure,  to be spiked at to he Iron Maiden.

    Absolute darkness. And, about me, truments of mutilation.

    Until t moment, t knolao tasy to kno. I fumbled for tc; ion and some dark nigion.

    tark torture cing . At t antiquity, Etruscan, perands, t burning atuary and I  consoled, t persuaded myself t I migumbled only upon a little museum of y, t alled trous items emplation.

    Yet at tre of tafalque, a doomed, ominous bier of Renaissance  its foot, an armful of to-afalque and its occupant more closely; yet I kne.

    Eacime I struck a matco lig seemed a garment of t innocence of mine for wed fell away from me.

    te naked, under a t of very rare and precious linen, sucaly used to soucly, on te breast; s I could see t of ranglers fingers. te, closed eyelids. t the dead lips smiled.

    Beyond tafalque, in te nacreous glimmer; as my eyes accustomed to t last -- o a skull; yes, a skull, so utterly denuded, no scarcely seemed possible tark bone ered rung up by a system of unseen cords, so t it appeared to ill,  e roses, and a veil of lace, the final image of his bride.

    Yet till so beautiful, s s ed above it, t I recognised  I sa. One false step, o in ted sisterep and into tumbled. And  dead, tess o on a spool of inexorability. But, at first, I could see no sign of mosp by my presence -- tal sted a gly t rying to clamber out, t of my rising eria, I kneo find a here.

    itrembling fingers, I prised open t of t coffin, s sculpted face caugus of pain. till  dropped into t by one but by a ly   been all time ed me, in t of Paris?

    I closed tly and burst into a tumult of sobbing t contained boty for ims and also a dreadful anguiso knooo, hem.

    t from a door to else flas, as if to tell me t t, e, .

    I retained sufficient presence of mind to snuff out to gataper, to look around, alto ensure I  beraces of my visit.

    I retrieved t in my o keep my he door behind me.

    It craso ion, like the door of hell.

    I could not take refuge in my bedroom, for t retained trapped in t place, alt ture of Saint Cecilia  dread; umult; sc jostled ide receded from t, running, stumbling; I did not trust t take any of tly maids into my confidence, eitures, all. Once at tly on the gendarmerie.

    But -- could I trust t for eiguries, from tle lantic. Mig tes, even turning a common blind eye to  be obeyed? ant coast, e-faced girl from Paris ale of blood, of fear, of tely kno to be true. But  me carry it no further.

    Assistance. My moto telephe line, of course, was dead.

    Dead as his wives.

    A t by any star, still glazed to keep tside, yet it seemed still to encroaco be present beside me but as if masked by my lig like a permeable substance t could seep into my skin. I looked at ttle clock made from ically innocent flo descended to te slaugime oo; it rap me,  t  until o me, like a black sun on a hopeless morning.

    And yet time migill be my friend; at t  very  sail for New York.

    to kno, in a fes, my  France calmed my agitation a little. My reason told me I o fear; tide t ake o t me out of t of tle. Surely I could easily evade ts. Anybody can buy a ticket at tation. Yet I ill filled  my oicular magic mig I could create a pentacle out of music t  not also give me to free myself from him?

    Meco play but my fingers iff and s first, I could manage notter t simply t of playing sootionality of its sublime matics, I searcil I found tempered Clavier.   I set myself tic task of playing all Bacions, every one, and, I told myself, if I played t a single mistake -- the morning would find me once more a virgin.

    Crasick.

    else! Sly, cunning, urned; ing for me outside the door!

    I rose to my feet; fear gave me strengtly.

    quot;Come in!quot; My voice astoniss firmness, its clarity.

    t t t, stooping figure of tuner, and errified of me ter ure c seemed to me t I s ation, tened and tle almost in s.

    quot;Forgive me,quot; said Jean-Yves. quot;I kno I sside your door at midnig I , up and do t of t touition told me you could not sleep and mig your piano. And I could not resist t. Besides, I stumbled over t;

    And side my ook to stoool as if to ect me. Still ood smiling at me.  o make everyday conversation.

    quot;Its perfect,quot; I said. quot;tly in tune.quot; But y of embarrassment, as t thoroughly.

    quot;ernoon, I t Id never oucecreat for me, to uoso! So I crept up to your door nole dog mig my ear to tened, and listened -- until my stick fell to tary clumsiness of mine, and I ;

    touching ingenuous smile.

    quot;Perfectly in tune,quot; I repeated. to my surprise, no say anyt: quot;In tune. . . perfect. . . in tune,quot; over and over again. I sao  me very piercingly, someer tion of t bloody c  made me faint.

    uners arms and ucking tin cusool under my head.

    quot;You are in some great distress,quot; ;No bride s;

    ryside, tides.

    quot;Any bride brougo tle s and a coffin ; I said.

    quot;s t;

    It oo late to keep silent; and if oo,  least o me. So I told erdiction, my disobedience, the blood.

    quot;I can scarcely believe it,quot; ;t man. . . so ric;

    quot;; I said and tumbled tal key out of my o the silken rug.

    quot;O; ;I can smell t;

    ook my  me. Alt a great strengto me from ouch.

    quot;e ales up and do,quot; ;to  young girls on ted t from  of  to tte, e ;

    But, in tic times, my  travel as far as Paris to do ing in t I shuddered.

    quot;O all tales, ctering of fools, spooks to scare bad co good be ranger, t tle of Murder?quot;

    t, in my , Id als lord h of me.

    quot;; said my friend suddenly. quot;t must be near morning. tide is going do;

    oones gleamed ly in t of t and,  unimaginable ensity of ransmit to you, I saance, still far a dra by moment inexorably nearer, tunnels ting mist.

    My urned; time, it was no fancy.

    quot;t; said Jean-Yves. quot;It must go back on t;

    But till caked  blood and I ran to my bat under t tap. Crimson er s, as if tself oken stuck. turquoise eyes of taps  me derisively; too clever for me! I scrubbed tain  still it  budge. I t ly toyard gate; tain.

    teers dro over   into s. . . sloer as slowly as you can. . .

    And still tain mocked ter t spilled from the leering dolphin.

    quot;You ime,quot; said Jean-Yves. quot;. I must stay ;

    quot;You s!quot; I said. quot;Go back to your room, no;

    ated. I put teel in my voice, for I kne meet my lord alone.

    quot;Leave me!quot;

    As soon as   to my bedroom. ty; Jean-Yves , my ered tle. I pulled tains close, stripped off my clotains around me as a pungent aroma of Russian leather assured me my husband was once again beside me.

    quot;Dearest!quot;

    it treacenderness, ion.

    quot;Da Silva of Rio outted me,quot; ;My Ne telegraped journey. So errupted pleasures, my love.quot;

    I did not believe one . I kneo  boug I sricked into my orayal to t illimitable darkness  sy of  came to life only in ts orocities, I must pay t of Pandoras box; but  learn t. I iny as oppressive and omnipotent as  destiny  at t as tim loses to tioner.

    , beneat. I strained my nerves yet could not  flinc timate touc made me t lovers in t. ance  ite did not diminisongue ran over red lips already . Silent, mysterious, o draccoat and laid it on table, like a good bourgeois; scooped out tling loose c play of patting s officiously, puzzled lips pursed, searc urns to me ly, a triump smile.

    quot;But of course! I gave to you!quot;

    quot;Your keys?  a moment --  you at t;

    Brusquely ique lace on the bed.

    quot;Go and get t;

    quot;No? Cant it  until morning, my darling?quot;

    I forced myself to be seductive, I sa as a plant t begs to be trampled underfoot, a dozen vulnerable appealing girls reflected in as many mirrors, and I sao resist me. If o me in bed, I would rangled hen.

    But ;No. It  . No;

    t of da vile place? And t but to go and fetcool and pray  examine too closely, pray to God   be struck blind.

    o t jangled at every step like a curious musical instrument, ting on te ssleeves,  seemed to me he was in despair.

    Strange. In spite of my fear of  made me  te from  t moment, a stence despair, rank and gly, as if t surrounded  once begun to fester, or t ing to ts of flayed  of y of ed a tremendous pressure on t tated to ttom of t pounded against the shore.

    I  t,  bet,  me tered eyes as t recognise me, I felt a terrified pity for range, secret places t, if I loved o follow o die.

    trocious loneliness of t monster!

    t in raction. I saement. tretc for ters in tle; t turned toained a sombre delirium t seemed to me compounded of a gly, yes, s also of a terrible, guilty joy as ained  tell-tale stain self into a mark t on a playing card.  it for a wary, brooding.

    quot;It is t leads to t;  timbre of certain great cat seem,  restrain a sob.

    quot;Otle love  of music,quot;  as if grieving. quot;My little love, youll never know e daylig;

    t;Kneel!quot;

    I knelt before ly to my fore t. I felt a faint tingling of tarily glanced at myself in t-sain ransferred itself to my foreo te mark of a Bra  been cut.  back on tting t same, heavy sigh as he had done when I said I would marry him.

    quot;My virgin of tyrdom.quot;

    quot; form s take?quot; I said.

    quot;Decapitation,quot;  voluptuously. quot;Go and bat on t o ristan and t prefigures your end. And I sake myself off to to s-grandfat;

    quot;ts?quot;

    quot;e se privacy for our last rites; I  of to t;

    It  of morning; terminate, ter look, a gloomy day on rouping every maid and scullion, every potboy and pan-scourer, valet, laundress and vassal , a ferudged along  basket in or for t  last of all, at a stately pace, as t¨¨ge and to the mainland for burial.

    But I kneon eart, faite.

    quot;I o celebrate our ; he said. And smiled.

    ared at test servant  the preceding morning.

    quot;Go, noratory ritual and ter t, t in til I telep; And arted, recalling t;One may call inside tle just as muc outside -- never.quot;

    I scrubbed my fore t go ater  until I died, t  be long. t to my dressing room and put on te muslin s, costume of a victim of an auto-da-fe,  me to listen to tod in. t tless s surrounded me exrumpets of th.

    On table, coiled like a snake about to strike, lay the ruby choker.

    Already almost lifeless, cold at , I descended taircase to t t been abandoned.

    quot;I can be of some comfort to you,quot; t;t of muc;

    e pusool in front of t, for as long as I could, I o smell t, reconciling smell of t, in time, e,  little crotted along tide, fated as I, came tumbling in, ts splasones.

    quot;You do not deserve t; he said.

    quot; I deserve or no?quot; I said. quot;Ive done not t may be sufficient reason for condemning me.quot;

    quot;You disobeyed ; ;t is sufficient reason for o punis;

    quot;I only did w ;

    quot;Like Eve,quot; he said.

    telepive. Let it ring. But my lover lifted me up and set me on my feet; I must ans. t h.

    quot;tyard. Immediately.quot;

    My lover kissed me, ook my  of courage, I t of my mothen I saw a muscle in my lovers face quiver.

    quot;s!quot; he said.

    I cast one last, desperate glance from t a vertiginous speed along tlocks. A rider, s tucked up around  so s, a crazy, magnificent horsewoman in widows weeds.

    As telephone rang again.

    quot;Am I to  all morning?quot;

    Every moment, my mother drew nearer.

    quot;Soo late,quot;Jean-Yves said and yet  restrain a note of , t must be so, yet it mig be so.

    transigent call.

    quot;So o fetc Cecilia? You ing t;

    So I must go to tyard rousers and t from turnbull and Asser, beside ting block, -grandfated to ttle corporal, in token of surrender to t  November morning, sal.

    ;Let t does even a youtted as you truly blind to ook my ring? Give it me back, w;

    t from my finger and, even in t dolorous place, my   lovingly and lodged it on tip of  her.

    quot;It ; ;to ter, utilising a less exalted instrument tion, for do not fear t in deat;

    Slo before tion, time it gave to descend. . .

    quot;Dont loiter, girl! Do you tite for t serving it? No; I s, more cruel. . . Run to me, run! I e corpse in my display of fles;

    brigs from t, but still I lingered altly raised, noo flag. If s  umbled on to t my lover  see me die.

    My one and, as ed my o a rope and dre away from my neck.

    quot;Sucty neck,quot;  seemd to be a genuine, retrospective tenderness. quot;A neck like tem of a young plant.quot;

    I felt tle of  touc retain only my gems; t fell from me. A little green moss, groing block,  the world.

    t heavy sword.

    And -- a great battering and pounding at te, ttered in an instant. t descend, t sever, my  roll. For, for an instant, t  split second of astoniso let me spring uprig to tance of my lover as ruggled sig bolts t kept .

    tood transfixed, utterly dazed, at a loss. It must cristan for teentime and tristan stirred, t from  act, announced in a jaunty aria interposed from Verdi t bygones  milk did nobody any good and, as for o live er. t master, open-moutent at t, sauals ime began and start to live for t, nesses t of his pawns.

    You never sa to sea so t e mane, o ts tucked round , one  sea, like tnesses of a furious justice. And my ood stock-still, as if sill raised over ableaux of Bluebeard t you see in glass cases at fairs.

    And t ime into t and set all in motion. t aloud, braying  ter of deathree.

    On eenting tiger t  a moments ation, sook aim and put a single, irreproac through my husbands head.

    e lead a quiet life, ted, of course, enormous   ao various cies. tle is no ed by any sad gs looking for, crying for, turn to tents of whe door sealed.

    I felt I  to retain sufficient funds to start a little music scskirts of Paris, and o go to to sit in a box, of course e kno trut and mere cter can never  s? -- ternal telepat sent my motelepo tation after I  nigion. Not waps?

    t train, taken; s find a taxi at t, sernal urgency told  s reacide sealed me a ? interrupt milord on er. Saken so muc pleasure in t t tle girl  seventeen in t dubious circumstances and busily engaged in setting up uner. Poor tate of disillusion! But I do believe my mother loves him as much as I do.

    No paint nor poter e, can mask t red mark on my fore see it -- not for fear of  -- but, because it spares my shame.

 The Courtship of Mr Lyon-1

    Outside cened as if t of its oed pallor remained beers landscape,  flakes floated do same, inner lig soo,  at try road. Not e and unmarked as a spilled bolt of bridal satin.

    Fatfall.

    t doelep  of news.

    the roads are bad. I hope hell be safe.

    But tuck fast in a rut,  budge an inc from  very morning; at ttempt to restore unes, urned out s to find trol to take  even enoug over to buy y, , te rose sed; t sed, no matter ,  once again be. Stle and  been able to give it to  stra broke ; t but to fasten  around al and set off doo look for help.

    Be-iron gates, a s, snoicent flourisure, perfect Palladian  seemed to self ss of an antique cypress. It  nig s s, retiring, melanced but for a lig flickered in an upstairs  migion of a star, if any stars could rated t ce and sa of a tangle of till, te rose.

    te clanged loudly s beoo loudly. For an instant, t reverberating clang seemed final, empic, ominous as if te, no from tside try garden. And, from a distance, t distance  tell,  singular sound in t roaring, as of a beast of prey.

    In too muco alloimidated, o to, it came to , as  at first, made of brass, but, instead, of gold. Before, ly in upon so many, many flo, free-standing jars of crystal t it seemed to its ake of perfumed breat the hall.

    tly as it , time,  no fear altmospy t ered a place of privilege en very eccentric and t of an exceedingly   off  t, tals of tinkled a little, as if emitting a pleased cs o all in t even tatutory country-garden mackintoso greet , ing ing for  last -- te King Celligently cocked, on t gave ing proof of s ricity to see the dog wore, in place of a collar, a diamond necklace.

    to its feet in tle leatudy on t floor, o a roaring log fire. On table, a silver tray; round ter, a silver tag ation: Eat me, in a flo beef, still bloody. e t mustard tfully provided in a stone, and,  rotted off about her own business.

    All t remained to make Beautys fatirely comfortable o find, in a curtained recess, not only a telep t advertised a ty-four-er and  trouble, only t up from tions to t one of deference, as soon as he house from where he was calling.

    And ed but, in ances, relieved to able if absent s account; no question, assured t ers custom.

    time for anotried, unsuccessfully, to call Beauty and tell e; but till doorm  curtains revealed a landscape as of ivory  in tily o tell  ime to be gone, t tality was over.

    As to bee.

    Great rees and, em on o te, a cly to to reveal, as if miraculously preserved beneat, one last, single, perfect rose t mig rose left living in all te er, and of so intense and delicate a fragrance it seemed to ring like a dulcimer on the frozen air.

    , so mysterious, so kind, deny Beauty ?

    Not noant but close to  door, rose a migo s breat still, because er, Beautys fatole the rose.

    At t, every  and a fugal baying, as if a pride of lions, introduced .

    ty about great bulk, an assertiveness, a quality of being more t of us are. ted Beautys fato er t s, and t glittered on , mazy e, on t pa grasped  the sheepskin as he shook him like an angry child shakes a doll.

    tion sys fatil eettled and ting from tractedly, like a lady at wy blows have been exchanged.

    quot;My good fello; stammered Beautys fat the only response was a renewed roar.

    quot;Good fello, and you must call me Beast, w;

    quot;Forgive me for robbing your garden, Beast!quot;

    y pa of dull red brocade and  lovely  cupped it.

    quot;It ys fat;All sed, in te, perfect rose.quot;

    t rudely snatcograp and inspected it, first brusquely, trange kind of  tured a certain look simes, of absolute sness and absolute gravity, as if  pierce appearances and see your soul. ure back, t took good care not to scratch his claws.

    quot;take  bring o dinner,quot;  else o be done?

    Altold ure of ted for  control an instinctual siful by far t to a different order of beauty and, besides, t for us: ional fear of us te eyes, t looked almost blind, as if sick of sig.

    , impassive as a figure top of table; tapestried, a gem. Apart from an aromatic soup kept  over a spirit lamp, te,  and, e notted ant oo bitterly of  t at  t time to time to see t everything was in order.

    range  intolerable; its presence c lay under er, and : tender  o be, Miss Lamb, spotless, sacrificial.

    Yet sayed, and smiled, because ed o do so; and old  t, s ed,  of s say , o London to take up t it o t must be, on some magically reciprocal scale, tune.

    Do not tion to an unusual degree and, besides, so ther, whom she loved dearly.

    ained a marvellous glass bed; sos; and a little parlour of ique paper of birds of paradise and Cures and ts  morning,   made , all ty. tomed luxury about , because it gave no pleasure to its possessor and  see all day as if, curious reversal, sened  o keep oday, t curquoises.

 The Courtship of Mr Lyon-2

    ; all time sayed t trays of food er inside t and grilled veal; se it as sion of courtly and elegant Frencales about s  bunc and found  t, took  s velvet mout gentle tug. So trot before o tudy in ained and to , seated beside tray of coffee at  pour.

    t seemed to issue from a cave full of ec rumbling groer el-coloured idleness,  seemed an instrument created to inspire terror t t organs bring? Fascinated, almost aed, as if  of t great beast of t Mark. Small talk turned to dust in alk  t of times, been Beautys forte, and stle practice at it.

    But antly, as if  of a single pearl, asked after o be so poor. o master  of a ure, and so, srived to master o suc t soon stering ao tle cupid in t clock on telpiece struck its miniature tambourine, soniso discover it did so times.

    quot;So late! You  to sleep,quot; he said.

    At t, t, as if trange companions  to find toget room in ters nig to rise,   and buried ayed stock-still, transfixed; s  breatiff bristles of ongue and tood: all he is doing is kissing my hands.

    able eyes, in   anot on all fours.

    Next day, all day, till settled ecs rumbling roar: er gone a-ing? Beauty asked t t bad-temperedly, as if to say, t s have answered, even if she could have.

    Beauty e reading or, pertle embroidery; a box of coloured silks and a frame  tle raking and rearranging. An idle, restful time; a ment of t brigty place enveloped , against all ations, s test appre ly intervie. All tural laenderly ed on alk ient cure of ts borroars and tances of ransformations of t still rangeness made o kiss   nervously into  ouch.

    telepher. Such news!

    t sunk  o o me? It will be lonely  you.

    S to tears t  o drop a kiss upon , tretc oouc from , yes, ser is over. taxi came and took her away.

    You are never at ts in London, s t ime to settle; and e friends la. A resplendent el; tres; a  on o parties, to receptions, to restaurants, and life was as s, for her.

    Alt y and talked of en, no timeless spell of  seemed to possess t and finite quality of dream and t rous, so benign, some kind of spirit of good fortune  e roses in return for t t, s freedom, as if s escaped from an unkno intact. Yet, ion, a desolating emptiness. But ing for  tel; tion to buy reat as any girl might be.

    Since tell  er  gone.

    Returning late from supper after tre, sook off  of ty. S isfaction. S to be a spoiled c pearly skin of , a little, s. A certain ino transform tures of ty, and ness and y could sometimes turn a mite petulant  quite as sed to go. You could not   s tle too often, t smiled back  quite tained in ts agate eyes. ead of beauty, a lacquer of ttiness t cerises certain pampered, exquisite, expensive cats.

    t  knoo cry.

    t, scrabbling sound, as of cla her door.

    rance before t once, sly. Spring  it ted spaniel tle barks and gruff murmurings, of whimpering and relief.

    Yet ed  y and snarled, s  been a dog, sears.

    After t first, rapturous greeting, s  for Beauty to order er; sugged. tugged and whimpered again.

    te train t ake o tation y scribbled a note for  round y kne ation master roused a sleepy driver for  as you can.

    It seemed December still possessed s of tle and ts on t bloom. And not one ligopmost attic, test smear of radiance on a pane. t of a liginction.

    t a little, in ed. But noion fed Beautys urgency and, as t door, s of conscience, hickly muffled in black crepe.

    t open silently, as before, but ime, on to perfect darkness. Beauty clicked te ligapers in t to replace ter s, everyion, of despair in ts glamour ained by a crick and noo pull ted to try his luck elsewhere.

    Beauty found a candle to ligaircase, past tudy, past e, tion up a little back staircase dedicated to mice and spiders, stumbling, ripping te.

    a modest bedroom! An attic,   aff. A nig on telpiece, no curtains at t on tead on c, s nest and ick-backed c  into tand but they were all dead.

    ty covers, softly keening.

    quot;O,quot; said Beauty. quot;I ;

    siced before t e eyes  because s ed there?

    quot;Im dying, Beauty,quot; ;Since you left me, I  go ing, I found I  tomaco kill tle beasts, I could not eat. I am sick and I must die; but I so say goodbye to me.quot;

    S tead groaned, and covered h her kisses.

    quot;Dont die, Beast! If youll ;

    ouc-o t s clenc noentatively, at last began to stretcears fell on  transformation, t, ta  mane of range, a broken nose, sucired boxers, t gave ant, o t of all ts.

    quot;Do you kno; said Mr Lyon, quot;I t be able to manage a little breakfast today, Beauty, if you  somet;

    Mr and Mrs Lyon  of fallen petals.

 The Tigers Bride-1

    My fat me to t at cards.

    trikes travellers from trees grories of cold   ure but o t uous air. t for you. And t Souts tarved brain; it gasps: quot;Luxury! more luxury!quot; But t escape it, it follo ran beter city  up  last, flocking against to mock my fatations of perpetual pleasure as tand out and ture books. t, acrid gouts of ely to ness folly,  more drauger t;grappaquot;, rids  scraps of my inance.  Russia,  e nigs.  a burden all t o o donate all to t.

    Everyone y must play a   Milan, or, if t understand talian, t of te, provincial place, out of fased no casino. I did not kno tay in its Decembral solitude h Milord.

    te. to tones, into your bones, into t insinuated itself o our parlour, ial to ation  brougo our lodging? Not my profligate fatainly; table gave me back y, tying bottles, tide of till mask t concealed all tures of t but for t strayed, noowards myself.

    quot;La Bestia!quot; said our landlady, gingerly fingering an envelope  of a tiger rampant on it, somet ask er of tia --  to do ure -- because ongue ic speeco make out a t, w;C;

    Since I could toddle, alty one, -bro; my Engliss said: quot;t; crossing t of respect for t blossom long; bartered for o sucy t sances. And t gave me tmoded button bruse rose, unnatural, out of season, t noal by petal, apart as my fatly concluded tastrophe.

    trospective region; a sunless, featureless landscape, ting fog, ty; ted to public executions, under tling s malign barn of a co y urally to t so close togeta soaked in oil, boiled beef ter  tants  to you and c you, innkeepers, coachey fleeced us.

    treacer but forget you take it h you.

    My senses roubled by too potent a reek of purplis at sucers in so small a room.  bat, soak s and underlinen in it; w can  needs so much camouflage?

    I never sae of t elegance of t, in tailcoat t migs looks,  in tant years before  feel imes. t lines, t are on t side; and raint, as if figtle o remain uprigions to tance  not muc from any oted most beautifully on it. Oiful face; but one oo mucry of feature to be entirely oo perfect, uncanny. oo, false ied at traits. A ce silk stock stuck . And gloves of blond kid t are yet so  seem to cover hands.

    cards.

    distance as oops over  in  only ,  for er riloquist.

    ttered. By time my rose  all its petals, my fatoo,  hing.

    quot;Except t;

    Gambling is a sickness. My fat aked er on a ; in t up ened, ood up on end,  stages of debaucs came out of t me, I s are coldest there.

    A queen, a king, an ace. I sa  lose me; besides, back , tunes of our family at one bloored. And s ary palazzo outside ty; s, reasure c, egnas, cellars, itles. . . ty itself.

    You must not t less t at no more than a kings ransom.

    It o me, c it  my fles, truly, my fat was in peril.

    My fat gambler does not? In pursuit of just suc travelled from ting stars?

    So eetered on the brink.

    t bayed; laid dohree remaining aces.

    t servants noo douse to look at t not tle resentfully; it  morning. e  t of bed. ts man broug amongst tions for departure, staring on at trayal of able.

    ts man informed me crisply t , omorro ten, and conduct me forto ts palazzo. Capisco? So s I scarcely did capisco; ed my orders patiently, range, ttle man wing r in curious, wedge-shaped shoes.

    e as t caked the windowpane. his eyes swam; soon he would cry.

    quot; Like t; oric. quot; One ;

    At t, t made a sudden, dreadful noise, , te, interpreted unblinkingly: quot;My master says: If you are so careless of your treasures, you s to be taken from you.quot;

    er could not offer us and ted.

    I cil, just before da stopped falling; a  settled, next morning t like iron.

    ts carriage, of an elegant if antique design, amped upon tly appearance of life to give me some  not all ttle to ter t day, I  o the chance.

    t sat up on tty black and gold livery, clasping, of all ters damned  of floo any ion. ernatural agility to place tant hand.

    My tear-beslobbered fats a rose to s I forgive em, I prick my finger and so s h blood.

    t crouc my feet to tuck t me range kind of unflattering obsequiousness yet  ation sufficiently to scratce peri my old nurse . And pity? No pity.  and bro baby. ating  of ctering to ime as ers ains to conceal t of my fate was sharp as broken glass.

    Lost to t! And ure of ;beastlinessquot;? My Englisold me about a tiger-man stle girl, to scare me into good be tame me into submission  stop plaguing ty, tiger-man ake you a ra, in ts were all he head downwards did he resemble a man.

    And yet t goes al cannot be  looks like mine.

    But tiger-man, in spite of ake a glass of ale in ian and drink it doeps of Upper Moor Fields oo. t, if t a good little girl and did not eat root, tiger-man  on ravelling cloak lined  like your daddys, and  straigo the nursery and --

    Yes, my beauty! GOBBLE YOU UP!

    ed terror,  seased me. And t I must not tell  farmyard, ed me into teries of o t ter.  let on to your nursie -eyed, ugly as sin, o lers and  and teet proved it. But, side ted to besides being able to tell which eggs would become cocks, which hens.

    ts once broug and  go back to turbed it until t   not?

    Old ales, nursery fears! I kneion I cosily titillated itious marvels of my cal in today Id make my first investment.

    e  ty far beraversing a  disilated stumps of te  frozen ditc diminis doil it seemed no more t one tarveling,  t  bouquet into t-stiff mud of ted my face  lifted sufficiently to reveal before me an acreage of  facades of s man-trap, tadel of his palazzo.

    It self but a dead one, a burned-out planet. I sa bougude, not luxury, h his money.

    ttle black rotted smartly t stood open to t  of to tiles of t self, into table, s  drummings of  beneatall roof, s; a dozen gracile muzzles lifted from turned to. t ed, aptly enoug and blossom greogether.

    t tely at my sleeve. Milord is ing.

    Gaping doors and broken  ted one staircase after anot clopping on tes of vaulted c of anotems of Co te complexity of tirring; and all ture  ss, tures taken from to ter could not bear to look at tled, as if its o to move  o live in an unined place.

    t darted me a reassuring glance from  eyes, yet a glance  t it did not comfort me, and  bounding aly ctering to  for all my pride, my  was heavy.

    Milord ifling, darkened room; ters locked at noon. I  of breatime urned to ed me. I  smile.  smile.

    In urbed privacy, t  of Ottoman design, a loose, dull purple go falls from o conceal . t of ts in are ificial masterpiece of e. A rustles tters.

    t cougo e task of transmitting to me ers er --quot;

    A stick fell in te. It made a migter in t dreadful silence, t started, lost ;My master  one desire.quot;

    t  us, ascends in cursive blue from t. quot;;

    Noy, t ttered, er, rivial, may yet sound unbearably insolent in t and  contrived to unleasuated flood.

    quot;My masters sole desire is to see tty young lady unclot  only for time after o  to my master at cards and also a number of fine presents suc;

    I remained standing. During tervie noo ,  even as  for ato, molto agitato, t wrung e-gloved hands.

    quot;Desnuda --quot;

    I could scarcely believe my ears. I let out a raucous guffao remonstrate. But I did. And do. At tless mirt danced backurbation, palpitating tempting to ing,  t I o to o make my reply in as exquisite a tuscan as I could master.

    quot;You may put me in a  up to my , ready for you. But t be a s over my face, to ; t must be laid over me so lig it  cely from t uper t I must be driven directly to ty and deposited in t of to give me money, to receive it. But I must stress t you s of money t you o any otances.  to give me a present, t is your rig;

    o see I struck t to t! For, after a bakers dozen -beats, one single tear stering, at tear! A tear, I ear trembled for a moment on an edge of painted bone, tumbled doed co fall,  tinkle, on tiled floor.

    t, ticking and clucking to ily us of ters perfume billo into ted itself on the spinning winds.

 The Tigers Bride-2

    A cell able cell,  a lamp for me; a narro and flo bulked out of the gloom.

    quot;I s a noose out of my bed linen and ,quot; I said.

    quot;O; said t, fixing upon me wide and suddenly melanc;O. You are a woman of ;

    And il I submitted to ts  I may not o my unspoken demand, t clapped his hands.

    quot;to assuage your loneliness, madame. . .quot;

    A knocking and clattering be glides a soubrette from an operetta, -broakes me a moment to recognise tle cap, e stockings, ticoats. S sinkles as sowards me on iny wheels.

    quot;Not; said t.

    My maid ed, bo seam at trudes t delicately balanced system of cords and pulleys in the world.

    quot;e s,quot; t said. quot;e surround ourselves instead, for utility and pleasure,  no less convenient t gentlemen.quot;

    ttecento minuet, and offered me tion of s my c makes me cougs tole mirror.

    I sa not my o t of my fat on  ts palace as t. , you self-deluding fool, are you crying still? And drunk, too. ossed back umbler away.

    Seeing my astonis, t took t, polis ,  back to me. Now all I saw was myself, , pale enougo need my maids supply of rouge.

    I urn in ts footsteps patter doone passage. Meano poting une but, as it turned out, s inexible; soon s more languorously, al  sloation of fatigue, il tes separated t of tune and plopped like single raindrops and, as if sleep aken  last so sleep, I ion but to do so too. I dropped on the narrow bed as if felled.

    time passed but I do not knoured tray a  it doook from it a little so me.

    I turned away my head.

    quot;O; Suc cracked crously unfastened t lay a single diamond earring, perfect as a tear.

    I snapped t and tossed it into a corner. t must urbed t as if to reprimand me, letting out a rippling fart of gavotte. till again.

    quot;Very ; said t, put out. And indicated it ime for me to visit my  again.  let me le natural ligerior of t I could not tell .

    You  t  sa ured calm, tifling air remained just as it , still traced ture on the same fire burned.

    take off my clot girl? Is t all you  of me?

    quot;t of a young ladys skin t no man ; stammered t.

    I ing bargain. t  so little  give it; I did not need to speak for t to understand me.

    A tear came from s ribboned weig say, ing claws.

    tear caugside my door.

    arrived again  er in to t one lay. t ttered  but did not offer to lead me to t again. Instead, iatingly and confided: quot;My master, e to go riding.quot;

    quot;s t;

    ion of a gallop and, to my amazement, tunelessly croaked: quot;tantivy! tantivy! a-ing ;

    quot;Ill run ao ty.quot;

    quot;O; ;Are you not a woman of ;

    clicked and jangled into tation of life. So to fetc over ic arm my riding . Of all t, t Id left berunk in a loft in try side Petersburg t  long ago, before, even,  out on to t my old nurse  perfect to t button on t sleeve, turned t in my  sprinted tremble in its frame; s across Europe to me? At ed t  democracy of magic  in common? Or, so accept it as proof of to me: t, if you hing is possible?

    quot;tantivy,quot; suggested t, evidently c t. t out to me and I alloo so it as if reluctantly, alto get out into thly palace, even in such company.

    t t day in; I sa it ing for us, striking sparks from tiles ient ablemates lolled at ease among trae speeco keep out trutted about, pecking at ears of corn. ttle black gelding  resonated inside t roof as in a sounding box and I kneo ride.

    I alures, sucivity in tional restraint of energy at trung ers. I lirruped and o my sing  lips. ttle s trompe loeil foliage beneated o  o  a grave grey mare. No natural o o a spar.

    Cold, t morning, yet dazzling er sunlig ina. t t seemed to go  speak carried it inside  it out at  stirred t did not lift ts.

    A bereft landscape in ter lay all about us, tracting itself toated s irreconcilable cry.

    A profound sense of strangeness sloo possess me. I kne, in any ainer and ter for c t of tted oo a different logic til my fato ts by ain fearfulness still; but, I  mucionality just as t to all t exactly like t one single soul in t ion all around me, ts and riders, bot amongst us not one soul, eit religions in tate categorically t not beasts nor antial tes of Eden and let Eve and umble out. Understand, t t say I privately engaged in metapion as o tainly meditated on ture of my oate,  and sold, passed from o  clockted only tative life amongst men t the doll-maker had given her?

    Yet, as to true nature of tyle t made me recall  out ing on  I ion.

    e came to t  see across it, so still er t it scarcely seemed to floo drink. t cleared , about to speak;  privacy, beyond a brake of er-bare rushes, a hedge of reeds.

    quot;If you  let  your clot;

    I involuntarily shook my head --

    quot;-- you must, t of my master, naked.quot;

    ted me; all at once I  t I could bear t of ever  me keenly, as if urging me. t my feet. I was far from home.

    quot;You,quot; said t, quot;must.quot;

    refuse, I nodded. t broug a gust of t  ers cloak to screen irred. tiger  t is not reciprocal. t learn to run igers.

    A great, feline, tary of bars terrible  . le tread. ting vewin suns.

    I felt my breast ripped apart as if I suffered a marvellous  moved foro cover up er no I said: quot;No.quot; tiger sat still as a , in t y to do me no  Petersburg, t of tivity. Not y.

    I tened my jacket, to s I le, for no man   s ted my fingers so; and a certain trepidation lest ttle article of ery before  not be, in itself, grand enougo satisfy ations of us, since t e during time ing. ttered in the river.

    I se skin, my red nipples, and turned to coo, eously curious as to ture of  loure. till again.

    t off toget on iger running before  I  liberty for t time in my life. ter sun began to tarnised from turned to t mounted again on o all appearances, a man, o tracks t we  behind us.

    t did not return me to my cell but, instead, to an elegant, if old-fasreasury of Oriental carpets, tintinnabulation of cut-glass clered ruck rainboic s of my diamond earrings, t lay on my neable at ive maid stood ready ending to fix ts in my ears, I took t it  of one of its magic fits again and I did not see my o but t of my fat first I t  me. tification.

    , I sa table  no a tremendous pile of banknotes. My fatances ly barbered, smart need glass of sparkling  convenient to . t ly, as if it  been a sig runks ure. Could he so easily leave me here?

    te on table  quite clearly. quot;tely.quot; Some  iated a liaison on trengt at all. For, at t moment, t knocked at my door to announce t I mig any time er, and tle gratuity, ts morning gift, in wo pack me up and send me off.

    t asked politely  t I y at t opportunity inued bonnily to beam. I  of my fater.

    quot;Leave me alone,quot; I said to t.

    need to lock took off my riding , left it , o my s, my arms dropped to my sides. I omed to nakedness. I o my o to take off all my clot t ed a little t I o give  it is not natural for o go naked, not since first ripping off my o and tood poised in tion of life, co te meat of contract and, if s see me, t place, cake no account of your existence.

    And it seemed my entire life, since I  t gaze of eyes like ark, except for ears. I  return to o keep me from ting  raced along to  t to guide me.

    No response to my tentative rap on his door.

    t e creature, covered e muzzle, tlest creature in ttle to see my fine furs and je deal of tender ceremony, removed to a pack of black squeaking rats t rattled immediately doairs on ttle feet and  to sig bos room.

    t on ed on eacy  . t lay broken in pieces on ticks tered from tinguisuck by its oo telpiece lit tigers eyes.

    ip of ail tc t bethe gnawed and bloody bones. he will gobble you up.

    Nursery fears made fles and most arc. t and e, so a peaceable kingdom in e need not be my extinction.

    still as stone. ened of me than I was of him.

    I squatted on t straretc my  t, loo smell my fear; .

    Sloowards me.

    A tremendous t makes turn, filled ttle room; o purr.

    t tters batter til t apart and let in te ligiles came craso tyard far beloions of ions of to dance. I t: quot;It egrate.quot;

    o me, until I felt t of  my ongue, abrasive as sandpaper. quot;;

    And eacroke of ongue ripped off skin after successive skin, all t be patina of surned back to er and trickled down my siful fur.

 Puss-in-Boots-1

    Figaro ell you! Figaro upstairs, Figaro doairs and -- otle Figaro can slip into my ladys c as you like at any time  akes t you knoan, sopicated; ell ;noquot; to te yet toujours discret advances of a fine marmalade cat? (Unless it be inently overflo test whiff of furr, which happened once, as you shall hear.)

    A tom, sirs, a ginger tom and proud of it. Proud of e sfront t dazzles  angerine tessellations (o a fiery suit of ligrancing eye and more tary , some say, of o impromptu song at tacle of t of ragged tras s t up t stage and start tizens deluge me  er, vegetables s.

    Do you see ts of mine? A young cavalry officer made me tribute of, first one; ter I celebrate y o, t -- s s inge altly lubricates ive Bergamasque  is the only language in which you can purr.

    quot;Merrrrrrrrrrci!quot;

    Instanter I dras on over tty ockings t terminate my  young man, observing y by moonligo : quot;;

    quot;At your service, sir!quot;

    quot;Up to my balcony, young Puss!quot;

    , in s, offering encouragement as I sly up te, ucco o meet your forepaone nympit; left pa, tyrs bum srick. Noto it, once you knoo t w  a glass of vino in  paw and never spill a drop.

    But, to my sriple somersault en plein air, t is, in middle air, t is, unsupported and  a safety net, I, Puss,  attempted ten I  off tour, to the applause of all.

    quot;You strike me as a cat of parts,quot; says t ion, rump out, tail up, o facilitate ary free gift, my natural, my ual smile.

    For all cats icularity, eac alley sneaker to t,  s ever graced a pontiffs pilloed on. t Mona Lisa smiles t smile , no matter s been not. So all cats icians air; , I note, thing of a smiler hisself.

    quot;A sand;

    cap and all, t, smart, dandified air about s  of it. And excellent beef sandaste for spirits, since I started life as a s for my keep, before ts enougo let me live by them.

    And t of t intervie, as Sirs valet: valet de cime to time, , for,  officer   to keep  nig like me to knead  of t affection and to test tractability of my clas of absence of mind, t ot could slip into a young girls sacred privacy and deliver -doux at t ask I once or titude.

    And, as you  to t of fortunes for us all.

    So Puss got  at time as s and I dare say ter and I oucin-tacks, lec as loves ted a rascal as ever put on clean linen.

    imes  -- a  oo, for a cat may move from lap to lap y and cast  can jump on t resist to see it roll! poor took it for a bird; and, after Ive been, limp-spined, stiff-legged, playing to be cised, w place?

    And enance o us, as, cimes did. Id perform my little Spanis around : ole! But  my loyalty and affection to test of tion , o pawn his drawers.

    So all  riger; until t needs go fall in love.

    quot;;

    I  about my ablutions, tonguing my arseegrity of cats, one leg stuck in to remain silent. Love?  er, for  and god knoiso do ender passion?

    quot;And soe and so a dolt and dragon-guarded.quot;

    I es and fixed  satiric smile; I dared  strain.

    quot;All cats are cynics,quot; h my yellow glare.

    It is t draws him, see.

    ts in a enderest time of dusk. You can scarcely see ures, tains almost  on t up, talls go do comes on. And t, on Sundays, t o Mass, bundled up in black, he company of an aged hag, her keeper, who grumps along grim as a prison dinner.

    secret face?  Puss revealed it?

    Back ables so late, so very late at nigo our emergent surprise t all at once it s ly a-gurgle   fine spirits er and cold rot to ctle lanterns the chill fog as we go ungodly rolling home.

    See, a black barque, like a state funeral; and Puss takes it into o board acking obliquely to e against ern, take offence at suctentions to tle cat? (As it turns out, ttise  as Arabia descends from t just tatic spot. Puss lets rip a roaring purr, rears briefly on s; jig te o see and draer lamp lit be flush: her face.

    And she smiling.

    For a moment, just t moment, you  was May morning.

    quot;Come along! Come! Dont day beast!quot; snaps toots; she sneezes.

    t is, and dark, again.

    It  I alone w smile ole .

    Love.

    Ive sat inscrutably by and  in ty, besides a number of good iful daugry girls come to sell celery and endive on trips ts more. tary unsticoats and if I could, I  sixteen years old. But never t;lovequot;,  of any of transports, until my master saeleone as s  to Mass, and sed up  for him.

    And noo tables no more for lack of  and never even pats tling rump of t our slops left festering for days and ts filt bad-temperedly o fetcer off the walls.

    Ill so see, o . So muco tossing on  sleep for fear  into ter t black, vague ser . o be so inconspicuous? And yet, ; times, t about.

    e o times contrive to touc, o y o , in a dream, till bed-time; , eit c, parfum¨¦ avec tarragon, but  touc so I crunc up, bones and all, performing, as ever after meals, my meditative toilette, I pondered, to ruining us boting ained by unfulfilment. If I lead o akes e,  as rain in tricks as usual.

    ter and  once again.  t, very muc, sir.

    teleone employs,  but tc, a sleek, spry tabby eetomary tribute of a fes of my striped loins and, -ed creature cty kitty out of to o play er trailed oget an all-girls ball.

    Poor, lonely lady, married so young to an old dodderer e and icks, and ime at  indeed; and jealous as ent, tabby declares --  a stop to all tting in t to certify  get from anot s get from him.

    quot;tc to antler ;

    Notells me t time for t sing-o ride off into try to extort more grasping rents from starveling tenant farmers. And s all alone, ts and bars you  believe; all alone -- but for the hag!

    Aurns out to be t snag; an iron-plated, copper-bottomed, sy bitter ers ers, clatters, erupts into paroxysms of t ts  ones affections, nor for my tabby neit, oy rises to test part of our conversation in ty convenience of t so see to-inaccessible one gets a letter safe if I slip it to  to  discommoded by my boots.

    tter, did my master, as long as it takes me to lick t off my dicky. ears up ion: quot;Look not for any peace, my ; o tys tyranny, dazzled am I by torments cannot be assuaged.quot; ts not to t one ninny bethem already!

    quot;Speak from t,quot; I finally ex. quot;And all good women reak, sir; convince ion and s;

    quot; your advice, Puss, Ill ask for it,quot;  once y-toity. But at last o pen ten pages; a rake, a profligate, a card-so rack and ruin w  were a glimpse of grace, ion.

    O a masterpiece he penned!

    quot;Sucears s at ; says my tabby friend.

    quot;Oabs, sabs -- I never meant to ed cat! And put  to  and s  sent oo mucue to and  is.quot;

    An admirable little note t urn, per Figaro s a responsive yet uncompromising tone. For, says s a glimpse of his person?

    ter once, times; s and will see me! I shis very evening!

    So,  to tar o buy and most, if I may say so, outlandis in some kind of vagabond mountebanks outfit ered coat  braying in truck zany, lovelorn loon ered o make it ate.

    tar  sucs in tter and crasle talls, sucion of ballad-singers and oration of nostrum-peddlers and pertubation of errand boys t t  to ;O; ance uck on tty as a painted stage, and so is s a grace-note. Does she see him? Never a glance.

    quot;Up you go, Puss; tell o look my ;

    If rococos a piece of cake, t ce, tasteful, early Palladian stumped many a better cat ts time. Agilitys not in it, o Palladian, daring alone  storeys graced y caryatid s facilitate t ascent, t colour, I can tell you.  seen my precious tabby croucter above me keening encouragement, I, even I, mig flying, up brougo her windowsill.

    quot;Dear god!quot; too, aimental tcter. quot;Puss-in-boots!quot;

    I boo o t a moment to lose. quot;Cast your eye belo; I ;e , ready to sing you an evening ditty.quot;

    tion is tter part. And, for bot sakes I did it, t of bot eyes inspired me to ttempted, by me or any ot, in boots or out of triple somersault!

    And a torey drop to ground, .

    Only t trifle o say, I neatly land on all my fours and tabs goes nessed my triumpuning up t old mandolin and breaks, as doo his song.

    I rees, like mine; and yet tle died for urning costers paused in tracks to reet girls forgot turned to , they did.

    tabs, up on ts power I know my  is in his voice.

 Puss-in-Boots-2

    And noo  me.

    tern ters to. And it s in all ts of all t once; and spring stopped dead in its tracks and migime, not come at all; and tle and t ed for he loss of love.

    And rudge drearily off to dirty ss and a mean supper of bread and ceal  at least ts a y appetite no of mortals; for t time since t fateful morning, sleeps sound. But sleep comes o Puss tonigakes a midnigroll across tably discusses a c cod abby friend found among turns to otters.

    quot;Rats!quot; s;And take your boots off, you uncout fles;

    tle, I ask  s;ratsquot; of o me. er must pose as a rat-catc marmalade rat-trap. s t ravage miladys bedco fetc, and s leisure for, if t, it is a rat and sill t rat is off t. Oabby one, sack is sulate y ionate cuffs round t, ubiquitous Puss, here and everywhere, whos your Figaro?

    Master applauds t ploy; but, as to ts to arrive in t place? he queries.

    quot;Notty soubrette res sed about t particularly, t of to be done tomorroaloon rides out to fetcs. By good fortune, do-catc abide eit or a cat, it falls to milady to escort t-catcrepid er, myself, to te of tation.

    quot;Once youre in  knoo do, t ;

    quot;Keep your foul ts to yourself, Puss.quot;

    Some t from humour.

    Sure enoug at five in t morning, I observe atoes to rake in S; and in ter, I  acall ourselves under a certain stered  pile of traps s us, top t determined look of a sworn enemy of vermin.

    eve not ed more teen minutes -- and just as -plagued Bergamots approac easily dissuaded from employing us -- y scream. t, flings uitous to find , at tly, ical gutters of rils as, s ttus domesticus dead in he Missus room.

    So Signor Furioso and ing Puss are uso tuary of ttishhoooo!!!

    S and pleasant in a morning go tattoo of my boot  recovers instantly and tate to sniffle more t;Aint I seen t cat before?quot;

    quot;Not a c; says my master. quot; yesterday ;

    So so make do .

    My tabs airs s; s somet killed but crippled; a big black beastie s ourkey carpet, Puss, pounce! Betate, I can tell you, ts a most praiseed presence of mind, being, I guess, a young woman of no small grasp so, per already.

    My master goes down on he bed.

    quot;My god!quot; ;t ing, I ever sas gat, ready to storm to arms!quot;

    But, for all error, to leave ter and me alone to deal s; ss ters, ters until milady assures  scenes of rising pandemonium:

    quot;I say  Signor Furioso doesnt make off rinkets. You go and recover yourself  come back until I call.quot;

    ts; quick as a flasurns tly laugy one.

    Dusting t-fluff from ands slo mar t, delirious encounter of t it. (Poor soul, remble!)

    Accustomed as I am to t offers no concealment of t soul made manifest in ttle moved by t reticence y sates to divest itself of its clutter of concealing rags in t, ttle, as if to say quot;range to meet you ; uncertain of a loving ill. And do I deceive myself, or do I see a tear a-t eps to? uned to t music of ts, indeed! Does s aged to kiss , t a pretty bluseps back; nos urn to take teps forhe saraband of Eros.

    I could le faster; te?

    rembling, upon ially more ant, sequentially more purposeful, upon range trance breaks; t sentimental o it ite. As if t into trip eac, , scores an instant bullseye. Bravo! Never can t old bed orm before. And t cterings, poor t;I never. . .quot; quot;My darling. . .quot; quot;More. . .quot; And etc. etc. Enougo melt t .

    me: quot;Mimic ts, Puss! Mask t clamour of Diana!quot;

    A-ing , I play catccabs dead rats, giving t vigour to droravagant screec break fort (e young er.)

    At t, ttering at ts going on? ? And ttles on its hinges.

    quot;Peace!quot; cries Signer Furioso. quot; I just no ;

    But miladys in no o don akes ime about it; so full of pleasure gratified er prettily ts tacip of raongue and sticks it back on s o t modest and irreproache world.

    quot;See! Puss ered all ts.quot;

    I ruso greet tantly, ;; s quite blinded yet, by p from all tions on account of iful) ws.

    quot;Puss y battle  beast you ever sa you see tains on ts? And no;

    quot;A s,quot; says I, quick as a flaser, left to ake nothing.

    quot;ts tire ; wails avarices well-chosen accomplice.

    quot;And s  of ; I see turdy backbone in ttle lady. quot;Go, pay te savings t I kno youve skimmed off t;

    Muttering and moaning but not except to do as sake off a laundry basket full of dead rats as souvenir -- , plop! in t se doo one dinner ly paid for, for a wonder.

    But te aside, laugime and time and time again, goes to to stare at tters be scrubs tabs rests from ions. s, for a  ook to ing poetry.

    quot;I must and will ; he exclaims.

    I see my plan o notisfaction  satisfied  soul tiable . I fall to toilette of my s, my favourite stance ing the world.

    quot; ;

    You did so for ty-seven years, sir, and never missed .

    quot;Im burning ;

    the expense of fires.

    quot;I seal o live ;

    quot; do you propse to live on, sir?quot;

    quot;Kisses,quot; ractedly. quot;Embraces.quot;

    quot;ell, you  gro on t, sir; to feed.quot;

    quot;Im sick and tired of your foul-mout;  my  is moved, for now oric of love and wo o  I? Scheme, loyal Puss, scheme!

    My ep out across to visit t cly into my orammelled  s and ty ion to see me; and, o neell me! Ne and personal nature, t turns my mind to ts of ture, and, yes, domestic plans of most familial nature. Srotter, a rotter to ! Masticating, I muse.

    quot;Recapitulate,quot; I suggest, quot;tions of Sir Pantaloon w ;

    t ts. Up at ts off yesterdays crusts and a cup of cold er, to spare ting it up. Doo ing-ing out il a boered gruel at midday. ternoon es to usury, bankrupting, radesman, t. Dinners luxurious, at four; soup,  of rancid beef or a toug  --  cakes unsold stock off urn for a s mout a pie t . From four-ty until five-ty, ters and lets , o I knoes t set tion!)

    And led to one little extravagance. Anot of Adams ale ucks besides Missus and, since ss to finger tle. ates ; a good bargain!quot; Alack, can do no more, not e ural essence. And so drifts off to sinless slumber amid ts of tomorrows gold.

    quot;;

    quot;Croesus.quot;

    quot;Enougo keep t;

    quot;Sumptuous.quot;

    Early in to to place  upon t volatile fur of a sabby cat --

    quot;You read my ts, my love.quot;

    I say to my master: quot;No yourself a doctors goa all complete or Im done ;

    quot;s t;

    quot;Do as I say and never mind tter.quot;

    So s on a black goe collar and ion, makes  announces, y, tore: Aced, bones set, graduate of Bologna, praordinary. o knoo give o her bedroom?

    quot;Ill clasp  of too sriple somersault of love.quot;

    quot;You just mind your o me mind it for you after my own fas;

    Anoty morning!  is, and dreary; but tands, grave as a sermon in  people come ers and ter Id foretfully stoato to sell for   umbled on a profitable profession for future pursuit, if my present plans miscarry?)

    Until dale yet  trikes six. At t stroke, t famous door flies open once again and -- eeeeeeeeeeeeecs rip.

    quot;Oor, oor, come quick as you can; our good mans taken a sorry tumble!quot;

    And  to float a smack, s see tors apprentice is most colourfully and completely furred and whiskered.

    t out at t of tair,  an acute angle t migurn cill, grinned in  o ed on voyage. And Missus, in ty air of concern.

    quot;A fall --quot; sor but stops s ably do ers stock-in-trade and ;You, again,quot; s forbear to giggle. But too blubbered to hear.

    My master puts o t and sakes t and puts it to t a breat. Oh, sad! Oh, sorrowful!

    quot;Dead, is ; sobs t;Broke ;

    And stle grab for te of rated distress; but Missus slaps her hand and she gives over.

    quot;Lets get o a softer bed,quot; says Master.

    aloft to taloon docaps a kneecap, feels a pulse.

    quot;Dead as a doornail,quot; ;Its not a doctor you , its an undertaker.quot;

    Missus ifully and correctly to her eyes.

    quot;You just run along and get one,quot; so ;And t tten you, t. O;

    So off goes ed Cmases spring so fast. As soon as t alone, no trifling, time; t it, ongs, do since t, in and out urn at top.

    toujours discret, Puss occupies ening tters and to tiful beginning of morning in  air ive nostrils catc and vernal  of spring. In a fes, my dear friend joins me. I notice already -- or is it only my fond imagination? -- a cliness in , o so elastic, so spring- upon tectors of t, a fat and cosy cus, sing to ttle at last amid tary joys of a domesticity wo, she and I, have so richly earned.

    ture rouse me from t revery.

    turellement, tender if outrageous moment to return aker in opper, plus a brace of mutes black as beetles, glum as bailiffs, bearing to take t t ted spectacle before terlude amidst roars of approbation and torrents of applause.

    But  til ter cuity. (Mean sensible young  to catcug it from  the keys secure, shes in charge of all.)

    quot;No; so ;If I  a  to go along ; -- flouris;I am a ric; -- indicating to all my bare yet blissful master -- quot;is t;

    eleone  er from, s a squeak more, pocketed a fat sum ook ;murderquot; neiter comes into a great fortune and Missus rounding out already and they as happy as pigs in plunk.

    But my tabs beat o it, since cats dont take mucime about engendering; ted ginger kittens, all complete fronts, tumble in tangle Missuss knitting and put a smile on every face, not just tabs and I smile all day long and, t our s in it.

    So may all your ty; and all your  ts as wily, perspicacious and resourceful as:

    PUSS-IN-BOOtS.

 The Erl-King-1

    ty, ty of t t afternoon  to itself; perfect transparency must be impenetrable, tical bars of a brass-coloured distillation of ligerstices in a sky  bulge  struck tine-stained fingers, ttered. A cold day of late October,  acorn cups underfoot in t slime of dead bracken ing cold of ter t grips  tigark elders  mucumn o make you smile but it is not yet, not quite yet, t time of ting sense of t cessation of being; turning, turns in on itself. Introspective her, a sickroom hush.

    tep betrees and ted to its original privacy. Once you are inside it, you must stay til it lets you out again for to guide you t safety; grass grerack years ago and nos and tle labyrintrees stir affeta skirts of  round . tumbling croig in tted s, notle stream  margins of mars it ime of t, blackiser to ice. All ill, all lapse.

    A young girl o trustingly as Red Riding o  t admits no ambiguities and, rapped in ly as it seems.

    tem of Co anotimate perspectives of terloper, traveller oed distance t perpetually receded before me. It is easy to lose yourself in these woods.

    tes of till air, as if my girliso a sound. ttle tangled mist in ts, mimicking tufts of old mans beard t flossed trees and bused fruit  treats. One by one, to trees ts cradle of ripped branc I felt I  al tle around me, I t t nobody  me.

    Erl-King will do you grievous harm.

    Piercingly, noe as if it came from t of t bird left alive. t call, ,  directly to my .

    I il its perspectives converged upon a darkening clearing; as soon as I sa once t all its occupants ing for me from t I first stepped into tience of ime in the world.

    It ive a sent leattle brooget . A lean, tall, reddiss great cy fox, its muzzle so a point, laid its runk of a scarlet roo c delicately stretco peer at  of uncanny  of snoed softly, so t he knew I had arrived.

    he smiles. he lays down his pipe, his elder bird-call. he lays upon me his irrevocable hand.

    e green, as if from too muc the wood.

    t you.

    t of ticks and stones and  of yelloream in a tin pail.

    does ? y of tetles; savoury messes of cmeg;  ed fungi are fit to eat; ands tc in ligs, t you cook like tripe, erelle s fan-vaulting and faint scent of apricots, all spring up overnigained by nature, existing in a void. And I could believe t it he woods.

    in to gatural treasures, ely as s  ;bum-pipesquot; or quot;piss-t; and flavours tra  toucs on t Michaelmas.

    , t milk and  c ic taste. Sometimes raps a rabbit in a snare of string and makes a soup or ste tures in it. old me about ttle ones disappear dos until t is over and out to run around as usual. old me oad ream in summer er; t me. o ts from reeds and o baskets and into ttle cages in which he keeps his singing birds.

    cs, rapped birds.  is, to keep   me ed teettle gleaming on them.

    ic s  neatly on trees since Judas ells me, tempting my o dry, too -- tic and te, a s, acrid smoke, a brig I  you cannot get a tune out of ts strings are broken.

    No  its s on times, tly, yet more enticingly, in ttles doo tling straender butc, hes.

 The Erl-King-2

    is t of it; tle and drift to tree and and as still as a tree, o flutter softly, crooning as t, trusting ty les out of an elder t is  of test singers irs t blotle of t blo crisps t I am not afraid of igo, of tigo ied up tted toget get out. ts of tain t tive of gravity, as I fall do I do not fall still furts fragile fleece of last summers dying leaves and grasses supports me only out of complicity ance as t are slourning into earth.

    me into t years generation and I  until led me up from my darkness before I could come back again.

    Yet, es from rusting t perc. I found tting on an ivy-covered stump o onic spool of sound, one rising note, one falling note; suc piercing call t do, cle of birds. ttered  of t surprise s muzzle fearlessly upon  of to t, , all still and t coming. t drops of rain fell. In ter but tage.

    t o ted solitude of ttle cages  of osier t and sing for him.

    Goats milk to drink, from a cin mug; cakes one. Rattle of tc up inside  of burning logs t siny flame, and I lie dora and texture of sour cream, iff, russet nipples ripe as berries. Like a tree t bears blossom and fruit on together, how pleasing, how lovely.

    And noical gales seize teeto my t and make me scream.

    te moon above te till tableaux of our embracements.  I roamed, or, rato roam; once I  c turned, t clarified and I sa Erl-King, tall as a tree s branco old fiddle z togeto ted dayligrees; er music tacked in tty cages as t of birds youve lured to it he leaves.

    rips me to my last nakedness, t underskin of mauve, pearlised satin, like a skinned rabbit; t miger. And so tream I have become.

    Sometimes t random, all singing, strike a chord.

    irely; . I so gro you could sales when I could lodge inside your body and you could bear me.

    tters and goes out. oucates me; I feel my  pulse, tone on ttress o dapple t  birds in. Eat me, drink me; ty, cankered, goblin-ridden, I go back and back to o rip tattered skin aer, t t drencs slits capacity for drowning.

    Noer from t season heir cry.

    It is gro on trees and to er numbers because, in t is lean pickings. t  ttoms and crack tones. But tles to t later you cannot see   fall of feat a goblin feast of fruit for me, suc from to tex of  at tre, t exerts on me sucremendous pressure, it draws me inwards.

    Eyes green as apples. Green as dead sea fruit.

    A  makes a singular, wild, low, rushing sound.

    big eyes you y, tive face. It is a preservative, like a green liquid amber; it catcrapped in it for ever like ttle ants and flies t stuck t in resin before tic. o t is till centre, looking t fall into it.

    Your green eye is a reducing co it long enougion, I  and vaniso t black ty one and I s, er, in my cage among t I -- I se.

    t to do errible fear and I did not knoo do for I loved  and yet I o join tling congregation  in er tionately, gave ter every day and fed ticements and yet, o! trap itself  in  be t moment I saw him how Erl-King would do me grievous harm.

    Altrings are broken so you cannot play it. I dont knounes you mig, if it rung again; lullabies for foolis sing, t find t of t t live in cages.

    Sometimes s me comb ree in te around my feet.  of tting fire  and I comb t of   in tc log, cleans ive sness in ain melance of t from  . Lay your  I cant see turning suns of your eyes any more. My hands shake.

    I sake tly, so  ly, le as rain, I rangle hem.

    t to young girls, every one, eac of e on ts. S mane o skin ts; sring trings of ash-brown hair.

    t  music  a ouc. trings of its o: quot;Mot;

 The Snow Child

    Mider -- invincible, immaculate. t and tering pelts of black foxes; and ss   ceased, te. quot;I ; says t. to a ;I ;I ;

    As soon as ed ion, tood, beside te skin, red moutark naked; sess ed  lifted   of  tess : how shall I be rid of her?

    tess dropped old to get doo look for it; s to gallop off and leave  t said: quot;Ill buy you ne; At t, tesss sess t;Dive in and fetc for me,quot; s t t said: quot;Is so ss leapt off tesss feet and on to tess ed; t felt sorry for o a bus;Pick me one,quot; said tess to t;I cant deny you t,quot; said t.

    So thorn; bleeds; screams; falls.

    eeping, t got off ened  o tess reined in amping mare and ched him narrowly; he was soon finished.

    to melt. Soon t of  a feat ain, like trace of a foxs kill on tess roked  picked up t to ouc, s. quot;It bites!quot; she said.

 The Lady of the House of Love-1

    At last ts became so troublesome ts abandoned t fell solely into tle and vindictive inants  fall almost inperceptibly aoo many s midday, t imes, of sobbing in a derelict bedroom  a presence; by a sense of unease t  traveller uno drink from tain in t still guser from a faucet stuck in a stone lions mout proiffened legs. No uates ral crimes.

    earing an antique bridal goiful queen of ts all alone in raits of ed and atrocious ancestors, eacs a baleful postence; ss out tarot cards, ceaselessly construing a constellation of possibilities as if tableclotate tered room into try of perpetual summer and obliterate the maiden.

    ant sonorities, like reverberations in a cave: no tion, no tion. And sem of repetitions, s. quot;Can a bird sing only t kno learn a ne; S lark sings, striking a plangent t of tstrings of a al. ears.

    tle is mostly given over to gly occupants but se of draers and  curtains keep out every leak of natural ligable on a single leg covered  able tarot; tly illuminated by a elpiece and tressingly patterned by t drives in ted roof and leaves be random areas of staining, ominous marks like t on ts by dead lovers. Depredations of rot and fungus everyrious spiders e and rotting place, rapped telpiece in soft grey nets. But tress of all tegration notices nothing.

    Ss in a c at table and distributes times t more often remains a sullen mound of drab featimes tess  for a brief cadenza by strumming ts cage; so  announce  cannot escape.

    Ss and goes immediately to able il sil siful sural; y is an abnormality, a deformity, for none of ures ex any of toucions t reconcile us to tions of tion. y is a symptom of her disorder, of her soullessness.

    te enebrous belle deal tiny.  Co a fine point. teete as spikes of spun sugar are tiny sfully attempts to evade via teeturies of corpses, s bud of tree t sprang from ts of transylvania.

    tin, embroidered ears of pearl. At t slumbrous, pungent fumes of incense. In tre is an elaborate catafalque, in ebony, surrounded by long candles in enormous silver candlesticks. In a ained a little ess climbs up on afalque at dawn each morning and lies down in an open coffin.

    A c of taked out  a Carpateet as taked , tal Count cried: quot;Nosferatu is dead; long live Nosferatu!quot; Nos and mysterious ations of  domain; sary commandant of teau, e ts and foxes, o come, orment pubescent girls ing fits, disorders of tion.

    But tess  to y, as if s. In o be  s kno is possible. tarot al, La tour Abolie, ion.

    On moonless nigs  into trong resemblance to a burial ground and all ted o a  incarcerates le of ance. ess c of s and small, furry t, four-footed speed; ser from to tidious gestures of a cat.

    tresss nigual tormented somnambulism, ation of life. turnal creature enlarge and gloeetrikes, s notliness of ion, nots to t of tarot pack and s, reads tantly constructing  a future which is irreversible.

    An old mute looks after o make sure s all day says in o keep mirrors and all reflective surfaces ao perform all tions of ts of vampires. Everyt tiful and gly lady is as it s, queen of terror -- except ance for the role.

    Neverturer pauses in ted village to refres tain, a crone in a black dress and ly emerges from a e you ures; you s fres. tle girl, sented irely s t squeaked piteously as s into ted voluptuousness,  palpitated for a bare moment betoo long beside tain, you o tesss larder.

    All day, sained lace. ain, sirs and puts on to sit and read il ss; so take ts tuce, pet t in oire, but eeto tery ted skin from ed all t . And it is t or foolo  in ter of tain; tesss governess brings to table altle sugar cakes. t  in t tess in in finery as s and cters distractedly to put t tal ease. A certain desolate stillness of es so caress troke takes to heir luck.

    Aftero a neat pile and  in its oal parcel sly buries in tesss cears; ooto get rid of ts of skin and bone t here.

    Fee fie fo fum

    I smell the blood of an Englishman.

    One , ripe summer in t years of t century, a young officer in tising friends in Vienna, decided to spend ttle-knoo travel tted cart-tracks by bicycle, : quot;on t on ure.

    y of virginity, most and least ambiguous of states: ignorance, yet at time, poentia, and, furt t  generation for renced in cime, is about to collide imeless Goternity of t tern.

    Altional.  rational mode of transport in trip round to ride a bicycle is in itself some protection against superstitious fear, since t of pure reason applied to motion. Geometry at taire  ed t contributes muco mans  all to o t emits no s only t decorous speeds.  of harm?

    A single kiss y in the ood.

    tess, fingers of a urn up tess cast e involving love. Srembles,  eyes close beneattering eyelids; tomancer ime, t time, dealt h.

    Be he alive or be he dead

    Ill grind o make my bread.

    At toils up to t  and pusoo steep to ride, o find a friendly inn to rest t; , y, y. . . At first, sucment, to discover ttages caved in and tall ing tiles, sters ely from tirely unined place. And tation ive, one could almost imagine ted faces appearing momentarily beneat ture of it all, and tion of t brigill bravely blooming in ty of t, all tions soon overcame ment, even assuaged t unease . And tain , t tream run over his face.

    ified ly arrived beside  conciliatorily at e apron,  ; ly coiled in a ce linen  region. Ssy at to folloed, sed to bulk of tomaced to omacation to supper. time turning determinedly upon ion.

    A great, intoxicated surge of t of red roses bleo  tigo; a blast of ricly corrupt sness strong enoug, to fell oo many roses. too many roses bloomed on enormous ts t lined ts bristling  too luxuriant, tions of plusals someigrageous in tions. t of tle and ing ligting sun, t golden ligalgia for t  past, t manor  fortified farmed eagles nest atop ts attendant village meandered, reminded ales on er evenings,  of ts  stories set in just suco o ligerrifying stairs to bed.  ted accepting tation; but noanding before time -- eroded oak oo late to turn back and brusquely reminded o be frightened of his own fancies.

    tically creaking ook ce of ests.  a certain involuntary sinking of t to see iful ty vaniso trails of to, no doubt, some damp out oil or cs tyres. But, in for a penny, in for a pound -- in rengty, in tacle of y, tepped over tus castle and did not s of cold air, as from t emanated from tless, cavernous interior.

    took o a little cable spread e clottle tarnis, but laid ed to tle for dinner, no do yet dark outside, tains  trickling from a single oil lamp sled about to get tle of  cabinet of urned bearing a steaming platter of t steer e ily and polise , but tertainment ed from try and  in tcing.

    But sed off to get  one and seemed so friendly and   on a bed for t in tle, as well as he place.

    aeful, tured able and folloo take after-dinner coffee in anoted member of t , all ted to make ance. An ; in deference to s opinion of raigie, brus.

    o find erior of ten beams, crumbling plaster; but te crone resolutely aircases, ted eyes of family portraits briefly flickered as t belonged, iced to faces, one and all, of a quite memorable beastliness. At last sed, , metallic t -- of Juliets tomb, all the freshness of morning.

    t seductively caressing voice ly called out, in ed Frenced language of tocracy: quot;Entrez.quot;

 The Lady of the House of Love-2

    First of all,  luminosity since it cauged in its yellotle lig room; tself into t of, of all ted dress of in draped y or sixty years out of fas once, obviously, intended for a y of ton of a mot o o enanted in ticulated garment in ant mantelpiece; tern o protect ress from too suddenly seeing, or t from too suddenly seeing her.

    So t it tle by little, as omed to t iful and  of a cting on to bring o life again.

    tess stood beable, beside a pretty, silly, gilt-and-retcracted attitude t  one of fligartled by try as if s requested it. itark raig , s broke   look; yet urbed, almost repelled, by raordinarily fles lips of a vibrant purplis  t aarveling cation of t s be only sixteen or seventeen years old, no more, ic, uny of a consumptive. Selaine of all this decay.

    itender precautions, t so sess s face. At t, tess let out a faint meure  s table and a butterfly dazzle of painted cards fell to t;oquot; of le and to ion. tsking under  on table until sesss nose.

    foro pick up  t, o  rotted aly encroac-looking fungi. rieved toget noto range playt a grisly picture of a capering skeleton!  up  one anot oys back into a  see t of bones beneatranslucent skin, a ed, as banjo picks.

    At ouco revive a little and almost smiled, raising .

    quot;Coffee,quot; s;You must ; And scooped up o a pile so t t before  kettle, a silver coffee pot, cream jug, sugar basin, cups ready on a silver tray, a strange toucated interior ed, submarine radiance.

    tittering noiselessly, departed, leaving ttle darker.

    tended to time to contemplate aste a furtraits ained and peeling orted ed eyes t all ing resemblance to tim of inbreeding noiently filtering  breures o s c; no sound but t to iny cup of rose-painted china.

    quot;elcome,quot; sies of t, a voice t seemed to come elseill t. quot;elcome to my ceau. I rarely receive visitors and ts a misfortune since notes me ranger. . . ted, and my one companion, alas, s speak. Often I am so silent t I too,  o do so and nobody alk any more.quot;

    S from a Limoges plate; ruck carillons from tique c do not move -- , a ventriloquists doll, or, more, like a great ingenious piece of clockrol; as if s s be an automaton, made of  and black fur, t could not move of its oe deserted  deeply moved . te dress empy, like a sad Columbine w ime ago and never reache fair.

    quot;And t. I must apologise for t. . . a ary affliction of t;

    acles gave o  because it would s once, poor nigcher bird.

    Vouse serez ma proie.

    You , msieu, like a column of marble. aining about you all t of t;Les Amoureuxquot;  emerged from tumbling c seemed to me you epped off to my darkness and, for a moment, I t, per irradiate it.

    I do not mean to  you. I s for you in my brides dress in the dark.

    to the chamber which has been prepared for him.

    I am condemned to solitude and dark; I do not mean to  you.

    I le.

    (And could love free me from t kno learn a new song?)

    See, ing for you in my wedding dress, w will all be over very quickly.

    You will feel no pain, my darling.

    Sed  possess ors sometimes come and peer out of t is very frigerious solitude of ambiguous states; sus sanguinary rosebud. tly forebears on to a perpetual repetition of their passions.

    (One kiss, y in the ood.)

    Nervously, to conceal  of inconsequential cter in Frencors leer and grimace on tries to tion.

    ruck, once again, by tory cla reaming er in tered tals of tal castle, no  a cat: he is a hero.

    A fundamental disbelief in u  true, o believe ones eyes. Not so muc  believe in akes off ream all t populate ted land, but, since o so y --  yet knoo be afraid of -- and due to  and foremost, an inbred, rung girl c in too long and pale as a plant t never sees t, ary condition of  feel terror; so ale, inue could do trick.

    tion gives o the hero.

    o srenc t make him shudder.

    No is dark. Bats sside tigtered s eaten. ter comes trickling and diminiso a stop; ss oget ts nervously in a of ion squeak and gibber all around us. No tion, no tion. Surns ion t eaten for t is dinner-time. It is bed-time.

    Suivez-moi.

    Je vous attendais.

    Vouse serez ma proie.

    t;Dinner-time, dinner-time,quot; clang traits on tly rails; sed for  kno.

    t, scarcely believing o ar burn  catcears stitco temptation: quot;My clot to fall and you eries.quot;

    So kiss, no o caress, only talons of a beast of prey. to touco invite al embrace;  voice, su.

    Embraces, kisses; your golden ure of tarot card, your golden s eyes roll upake for t of love and not of deated marriage bed. Stark and dead, poor bicyclist;  ess and some t too .

    tomorrohes lasciviously of forbidden pleasures.

    Suivez-moi

    quot;Suivez-moi!quot;

    t, fearful for esss y, gingerly folloo to take ect ors whe walls.

    a macabre bedroom!

    ites, ing card of a brotyr assured en louis  sucage, t played t all tomer took end corpse. uredly refused tiation; ake criminal advantage of t, bone-dry, taloned  deny all tic promise of error, tenderness?

    So delicate and damned, poor te damned.

    Yet I do believe s she is doing.

    S efficiently joined toget so pieces. So unfasten tears, trickle do take off akes off ual, it is no longer inexorable. t most. akes off to pieces on tiled floor. tion; and ted, mundane noise of breaking glass breaks tirely. S ters and ineffectively smears tears across .  is so do now?

    o try to gats of glass togeto t, sc bead of blood form a drop. S  exercises upon ion.

    Into t brings t remedies of tly takes  still it spurts out. And so s o t better for her, had she lived, would have done.

    All tears fall from tinkle. ed ancestors turn aheir fangs.

    he pain of becoming human?

    the end of being.

    ters, tains, even t and air streamed in; no all afalque not ebony at all but black-painted paper stretcruts of re. tals from tside in to tly about t out and s   lark free because it perco sing s ecstatic morning song. iff and ac on t for a pilloer  o bed.

    But norace of o be seen, except, ligossed across tin bedcover, a lace negligee lig mig must ess must  up early to enjoy tside to gat to , coaxed to  and took it to t first, it exed tance for t,  up on to ts of t spread its o tcs trajectory  of joy in .

    to take o Zurico a clinic; sreated for nervous eria. to an eye specialist, for opo a dentist, to put eeto better sent manicurist urn o tmares.

    tains are pulled back, to let in brilliant fusillades of early morning ligion of ts at able in e dress,  before o sleep over tiny t are so fingered, so soiled, so ant s you can no longer make t on any single one of t sleeping.

    In deatiful and so, for t time, fully human.

    I ion of darkness.

    And I leave you as a souvenir thighs, like a flower laid on a grave. On a grave.

    My keeper tend to everything.

    Nosferatu altends  go to ttended. And noerialised, er a searcly to Buc e restante, elegram summoning o rejoin  at once. Mucer,  into t pocket of  after  it so far a seem to be quite dead and, on impulse, because ted and patic, o try and resurrect ooter from to it, so t its ed on the surface.

    urned from t evening, t Nosferatus rose drifted doone corridor of to greet an quarters brimmed , monstrous floy, t, brilliant, baleful splendour.

    Next day,  embarked for France.

 The Werewolf

    It is a nortry; ts.

    Cold; tempest; s in t. It is a  of logs, dark and smoky tering candle, to cure, a string of drying musool, a table. harsh, brief, poor lives.

    to t seen us nor even kno , but ten in toucos of tyle and to put in front of t out small, votive offerings, little loaves, sometimes a cake t t to snatc midnig, tes tc tell you t.

    reat t first on t of St Jo. c, anot, oer!  folloime, trip t. tone o death.

    inter and cold her.

    Go and visit grandmotake cakes Ive baked for one and a little pot of butter.

    trudge t; do not leave tarving ing knife; you kno.

    t of so keep out t too o fear it but s al.

    It aineers c at t of it. It  for , as  s s it s right forepaw.

    t out a gulp, almost a sob, ;   lolloping off disconsolately betrees as  could on trail of blood be. tcakes and  on too sno tsteps, track or spoor t mig were obscured.

    Saken to o a fretful sleep, moaning and s t t burned. S t, to use it to make to the floor.

    But it  , a oug on t, s for hers hand.

    S but t t, and began to struggle, squarong, and armed ing knife; so o see tump w ering already.

    t so loud t on t once for a c as s into ticks, beating , and pelted ones until she fell down dead.

    Nohers house; she prospered.

 The Company of Wolves-1

    One beast and only one .

    te and aste of fleshing else will do.

    At nig t is because tten on darkness and catc from your lantern to flas back to you -- red for danger; if a  only moonligural green, a mineral, a piercing colour. If ted traveller spies terrible sequins stitcs, t run, if fear  struck ock-still.

    But to glimpse of t assassins as ter invisibly round your smell of meat as you go te. tion of nightmare; hark! his long, wavering howl. . . an aria of fear made audible.

    tself a murdering.

    It is er and cold ain and forest, to eat. Goats and sed for turage on ttle fles you could count tarveling ribs ts, if time before tongue; teeming perils of t and t, gs,  grill babies upon gridirons, c fatten tives in cages for cannibal tables, t for  listen to reason.

    You are al, als of t pines  you, trapping traveller in nets as if tation itself  rees go fisep beteposts of t est trepidation and infinite precautions, for if you stray from tant, t you. they are as unkind as plague.

    to tend ttle flocks of goats t provide teads y che blades are sharpened daily.

    But t your ory but sometimes  keep t. ters nigtager does not fear to see a lean, grey, famis questing under tten in craining the macaroni.

    Fear and flee t of all, than he seems.

    ter once, near  trapped a . ts; eaten up a mad old man o Jesus all day; pounced on a girl looking after t sion t men came ried to track o t but er dug a pit and put a duck in it, for bait, all alive -- o ra t of t, a big one, a rao t umbled. ter jumped doer  , cut off all rophy.

    And t all lay in front of ter but trunk of a man, less, dying, dead.

    A curned an entire y into tled on anoto order to visit  nige, and t and tage for heir misery.

    Not so very long ago, a young s and t; t to relieve ed on it, for t up to ed and sed and ted again -- surely ime? Until so .

    t long-dra, as if ts o be less beastly if only to mourn tion. t melancicles of te as t, endless as ts of er and yet t gly sadness, t mourning for tites, can never move t for not one p s at ty of redemption; grace could not come to ts oernal mediator, so t, sometimes, t ches him.

    tacks but never found any remains so t too so piss into a pot s indoors. S rigrivet until, one freezing nig of tice, t fit toget nig good man came home again.

    A great tirring t sed tco  was years since sh lice.

    quot;; ;Get me my bo it.quot;

    t one satle c into tco see , ed: quot;I eac; So a ly became and tore off t boys left foot before c t , t peeled off again and  as  s and  her.

    tment t turns you into a e you rub it on. Or, t  first and orso is a mans but als are a wolfs. And .

    Seven years is a ural span but if you burn o  some protection to t or an apron at t by t eyes, you know amorphosis.

    Before rips stark naked. If you spy a naked man among t run as if ter you.

    It is mider and ts on t is t time in all t trong-minded cs se sure ts cannot  tle of illed from brambles; a batc oatcakes baked on tone; a pot or take ts to a reclusive grandmoto deater  over eps into out ice still ss  soo muco feel scared.

    C stay young for long in try. toys for to play  tty and t of tle late-comer, ted , today,  look of blood on snoo s ic scarlet and arted  rike, h.

    Sands and moves acle of y. Srance to igem; s know o shing.

    forbid  , gat deny her.

    t closed upon her like a pair of jaws.

    to look at in t, even in ter -- to too forlorn to sing; t frills of ter fungi on tcrunks of trees; ts of rabbits and deer, tracks of treaking across t dapples t brakes of last years bracken.

    ant  s all, nor of a naked man, neit ttering among to t and  t rustle of t e teet flattering little boic clo, t of ternoon.

 The Company of Wolves-2

    Soon to carry , s to  because old ect t began to sno flakes settle on  noo go and t tea, and a sman as well as for herself.

    t in . It tle round glassface in tcaken ing trip because told  accuracy ; s instantly.  rails of spittle clung to eeto t t surrounded tee to arrive at er of an ting rudged th.

    I dont believe you. Besides, arent you afraid of the wolves?

    apped tt of his rifle and grinned.

    Is it a bet? ?   to your grandmothers house before you?

    would you like? she asked disingenuously.

    A kiss.

    Commonplaces of a rustic seduction; she lowered her eyes and blushed.

    took   s to be afraid of ts, alted to daleman would win his wager.

    Grandmotood by itself a little  of t tcepped delicately up to tant to get  , sle tune to himself.

    t trace of blood on ch.

    h his knuckles.

    Aged and frail, granny is ters succumbed to tality t ready to give in entirely. A boy came out from to build up  an c. S into t-fasc so remember. t on eit rug of iles. ticks away ime.

    e keep tside by living well.

    h his hairy knuckles.

    It is your granddaughter, he mimicked in a high soprano.

    Lift up tch and walk in, my darling.

    You can tell t of prey, nocturnal, devastating eyes as red as a  t  t and o protect you but it  do you any good.

    on table and puts do, too. O h her?

    Off  coat of forest-coloured clot ucked into tted reams doicks in t and  and t o tcangled in its hair.

    rips off . exture of vellum. A crisp stripe of  but  time. rips off rousers and sals, huge. Ah! huge.

    t tone, approaching her bed.

    te.

    il  as   in  on tead of tell-tale stained ones o.  tc,  and laid it on table. All   t grandmoticks tce, ticked and t patiently, deceitfully beside tcap. Rat-a-tap-tap.

    ique falsetto. Only your granddaughter.

    So s melted in tears on tiles, and pertle disappointed to see only ting beside t t and sprang to t it so t s get out again.

    t even tation of a  time s so, table. tick of ted  but s dare to reac because  noo serior lig big eyes you ter to see you h.

    No trace at all of t for a tuft of , s wo, my darling.

    No citude of  s could protect   spill. o sing us carols, she said.

    t of them.

    Snoice and s to look into t s er cabbage, pointing ts to ts en y  t as if demented or deranged. ted t from tchen and shone like a hundred candles.

    It is very cold, poor they howl so.

    Sook off  so be afraid.

    sh my shawl?

    t on t need it again.

    S on tantly consumed it. ts gleamed as if the room.

    sh my blouse?

    Into t, too, my pet.

    t flaring up t, ockings, o t, too, and  soucegument of fles e as tside. t directly to t mane tood up on tiptoe and unbuttoned t.

    big arms you have.

    All tter to h.

    Every side the kiss she owed him.

    big teeth you have!

    So slaver and ts Liebestod but tter to eat you h.

    t out laug. S  for  into t and t up a terrible clattering but s pay them any heed.

    Carnivore incarnate, only immaculate flesh appeases him.

    S t and per to  them, as he will bid her, as she would do in a savage marriage ceremony.

    the blizzard will die down.

    tains as randomly covered  over t pines limed, creaking, she fall.

    Snos.

    All silent, all silent.

    Midnigrikes. It is Cmas day, tice stands  through.

    See! s and sound sender wolf.

 Wolf-Alice-1

    Could t s speak, alt quot;; is not t , since so make t of a panful of fat on times ter kindred  and tain rim. terpoint crosses and criss-crosses t sky; trying to talk to  t do so because s understand to use it for s a wolf hough suckled by wolves.

    ing tongue ; rots or gallops.  our pace.

    t it meets. itool, sigates everyt so mucive filters of rils t  does not trouble  t is t sed lig make  and dra t ts sguns, now, and shere.

    ide sly curled into a ball as if sail. Not  t s a  is as if t sed into  of it, alt does not exist. Like ts, s a future. Ss only t tense, a fugue of tinuous, a   is  despair.

    -riddled corpse of er mottle bro first t a cub; s il tied  t days amongst us croucock-still, staring at teo o rouse  snatc into a corner to mumble it o  day among to sit up on .

    treated tle kindness, s intractable. So recognise o drink from a cup. t se easily be taugricks but s feel t took a long time to  of restraint, capricious in temper; o teaco give treated to a far corner of trembled, urinated, defecated -- reverted entirely, it o ural state. t a qualm, tinuing embarrassment of a co t and unsanctified he Duke.

    Deposited at tle, s, not t led do mean eition.

    tles against ts as o t out .  for ttle in common  of us as ed terracotta, rusted erior of an Iberian butc for  o cast an image in the mirror.

    lered bed of dull black ransformations and overseer of somnambulists, pokes an imperative finger trikes art open.

    At nigen up by se. to devour tion of hings.

    Spilt, glistering milk of moonlig-crisped grass; on suc, in moony, metamorp easily find o venture out late, scuttling along by torso slung across e ligil everyts in t w nigas.

    By ter sunset, all tfully in t in ter, tc privacies of te as leprosy, ers uff a corpse  treat: cadavre proven?al. c and crouc to tily lap up er.

    S, ay in one. Sasks to ter o a dustpan, s sunset, s outside ransformation is to to tender; o lollop along miles beo ter ten and o gna, suckled as s c ter to do his chores for him.

    Ss. If you could transport o t beginnings  on a daisy bank, picking ts, t prove to be tic as any language of nature. In a alking beasts and floen apple fles its scar again? Mutism is ; t an involuntary rustle of sound, as if t he dumb.

    Familiar desecrations in t on Cmas morning and, of its contents, not a trace could be found but for a rag of t ering, in t te so taken it, towards le.

    In time, trance of being of t exiled place, t tranger s and ience t existed in a flux of sing impressions; to describe tiated t s . to bleed.

 Wolf-Alice-2

    blood be meant and t stirrings of surmise t ever s ed tos possible cause. to tco feel trickle beto  a ionate nips too gentle to , out of it, took root a kind of  mig of a flying bird.

    tinued for a fe notion of past, or of future, or of duration, only of a dimensionless, immediate moment. At nigy o sop ttle elementary , enougo kno to inform  s  fastidiousness but s made her do so.

    Sos t  been opened since to teeto bite dresses and burial clot ems on tore strips of t absorbent fabrics to clumsily diaper  t mirror over o nuzzle ion; t industriously, s gave out no smell. Srying to tussle ranger. Sation, t,  mimicked every gesture of o scratcy carpet to rid  discomfort in ers. S ed face, to s s friendly to, and felt a cold, solid, immovable surface beto ask ture to try to play eet once sation. So ly, but, ed from ted in t of asy, puzzled, to see how her new friend grew less in size.

    t spilled into tionless bedroom from be-  e . tive ears pricked at tep in trotting at once back to cered toenails clicked against tairs as s, se and verminous innocence.

    Soon t it. t, little by little, reappeared.  again visited c full strengto bleeding again and so it  on, uality t transformed ime. So expect to prepare  terly bury tied ted itself om and tood tory principle of tly, even if all clocks e solitudes, so t you migion of time by means of turning cycle.

    exture and  er mot of t and printed it on  conscious memory, painful as t time ttle, in a firmer, deepening trajectory, to obtain table consolation of tial difference bet rees and grass of tside no longer seemed tion of ing nose and erect ears, and yet sufficient to itself, but a kind of backdrop for  ed for o give it meaning. S and y, took on a veiled, introspective look.

    S  seemed to  upery ongue and groom s y; te groural if disconcerting apparition, but to onis, stle diadem of fresufting beto termate, w.

    ts to be bots  never the disordered covers.

    Sometimes, on te nig alone in t  and, abrasive lace because to do so delig skin. imate in ts nose in delig t yet still potent scents of musk and civet t ual, at last boring, fidelity to  finally ful possibility t , no more ticularly ingenious variety of t on sunlit grass.  s of tter tussled and romped , a spider stuck in tle moisture leaked from t ion imate since s.

    Sumbled tucked a; sally inserted  legs in torn and crumpled, it ure t s, before s it on, s t of aser from to manipulate e dress made her shine.

    Alt run so fast on tticoats, srotted out in o investigate tober ante from tle, delig still, noo tful triumpo  on them.

    prints on damp eartiful and menacing as t.

    t a long time planning tery of silver bullets; t a ten gallon tub of er in a y, s bounced off o c a litany and  for t t deater.

    S at nigen noself about  s significance.

    It seemed to ion in tually attempting to imitate t tance of ed voice for a ively on e; trils tco catcenc told or   tle intent on performing uals?

    And if rils flare suspiciously at t, t is because sient ts, because ter moting lope, drencer, il t t bites ive pelt, so t  rise up like any common forked biped and limp distressfully on as best he may.

    e bride leap out of tombstones and scamper off tole umbling after, ts t t victim o take matters into ly vengeance on him.

    Poor, ates, an aborted transformation, an incomplete mystery norap or a woman in labour, and bleeds.

    First, s

    does not smell like iful as  grey mot upon o lick,  ation,  disgust, ender gravity, t from his cheek and forehead.

    ty of t lit t tional glass, ter of tially recorded the crooning girl.

    As sinued rations, te sloo trengts oerial construction. Little by little, t, like tograp emerges, first, a formless racery, t in its o still sline until at last as vivid as real life itself, as if brougo being by , moist, gentle tongue, finally, the Duke.