Dialogues of the Dead

Hat pulled himself together and said, 'Mr Perm, what are you doing here?' 'Teaching my young chum, Roote, the rudiments of Paronomania. I'd ask you to join in, but only two can play.' Hat's gaze flickered to the third rack on which he could see the name Johnny, then returned to Penn's mocking mask. 'I meant, why are you here, in Mr Dee's flat?' 'Because at present my pad is, as you'll recall, uninhabitable. The workmen from hell are still creating pandemonium. The library is closed to celebrate its release from the dead hand and limp wrist of poor Percy. So Dick kindly allowed me the use of his humble property to pursue my studies. But I ran into young Roote on my way here and let him inveigle me into initiating him into the rites of the second greatest game known to man.' Hat listened with growing impatience. 'So where is Mr Dee?' he demanded. 'Ah, that's what you want to know? Why didn't you ask?' said Penn. 'Mr Dee is, to the best of my knowledge, out at that rustic slum which for some reason he so enjoys. Or used to. Recent events have changed his perception, I gather. Et in Arcadia ego. Since his landlord's unfortunate death, Dick no longer feels at ease out there and he has gone to retrieve his gear.' 'You're saying he's gone out to Sfangcreek Cottage?' 'I'm glad you agree that's what I'm saying because that is cer tainly what I was attempting to convey,' said Penn. The man's face was twisted into that cross between a smile and a snarl Rye called his smarl. He's got something else to say, something, Hat guessed, he thinks I won't be pleased to hear. His heart jolted as his thoughts outdistanced Penn's words. But he still had to hear them. 'Yes,' said the writer. 'Really bugs him, that place now. Didn't even fancy going out there by himself. Also the stuff he's got there would overflow that jalopy of his. So he dropped a hint or two I might like to give him a hand. But I had to say no. Bad back, my car's on the blink, and I hate the fucking countryside anyway. Still, it all worked out for the best. He came back from Percy's funeral mil of the joys of spring.' 'Why was that?' asked Hat unnecessarily. There was a singing in his ears, the air seemed dark with foreboding, and through the murk he could see Franny Roote regarding him with an expression of grave concern. 'Seems he asked young Rye if she'd hold his hand and she jumped at the chance. Yes, old Dick dragged off the funeral blacks, got into his tracksuit and trainers, and headed off to rendezvous with young Ms Pomona. Who knows? Perhaps in such pleasant company he'll get back his feel for nature. Hadn't you better answer that? It might be Andy Dalziel wanting to know if it's time to throw the stun grenades.' And Hat realized that part at least of the singing in his ears was the sound of his mobile ringing.

>From his place in the library office, through the open door, out across the enquiry desk, Pascoe could see them, twenty dark blue volumes, standing as straight and smart as guardsmen on parade. And he knew beyond doubt the meaning of that mysterious shape in the bowl of the P of the In Principio at the head of the First Dialogue. Not a Bible or a missal as Urquhart had suggested, but a volume of the great Oxford English Dictionary. No lettering on the drawing, of course - that would have made things too easy - but the narrow band across the top of the dust jacket spine was there while the white disc at the bottom represented the university coat of arms. From this distance he couldn't make out the letters of the motto it contained, but he'd seen it often enough on his own OUP books to know what they spelled. Dominus illuminatio men. The contents of the volumes were indicated by the first and last words each contained. These he could read from here, but nevertheless he rose and went out to the shelf. The first volume was easy.

A - Bazouki The AA man, Andrew Ainstable. The boy who played the bazouki. Next;

BBC - Chalypsography

41!

Jax Ripley. And the other? He took the volume down to check.

Steel engraving. Oh, dreadfal pun! Councillor Steel killed with a burin. And the Cyrillic letters engraved upon his head just to underline the joke. The third volume.

Cham - Creeky

Cham. Illustrative quotation from 1759:

'. . . that great Cham of literature, Samuel Johnson.' Then creeky... ? Stang Creek? Skip to the next volume. Creel - Duzepere Creel. Body in the creek, head in the creel. And duzepere? A singular variant of douzepers meaning illustrious nobles, knights, or grandees. Poor Pyke-Strengler. Perhaps if your father had not died ... The fifth volume.

Dvandva -- Follis

Dvandva. A compound word in which the elements are related to each other as if joined by a copula.

Actor-manager. Follis. A small Roman coin, like that found in Ambrose Bird's mouth. And the first word in the next volume.