creen, except that now
his face was out the other side and we could just see parts of his
gray-doubleted back, but, of course, his "Jesu!" came through the screen
as if it weren't there.

At first I couldn't figure out who he could be talking to, but I swear I
never heard his voice so courtly obsequious before, so strong and yet so
filled with awe and an under-note of, yes, sheer terror.

"Lord, I am filled from top to toe with confusion that you should so
honor my poor Place," he said. "Poor say I and mine, when I mean that I
have ever busked it faithfully for you, not dreaming that you would ever
condescend ... yet knowing that your eye was certes ever upon me ...
though I am but as a poor pinch of dust adrift between the suns ... I
abase myself. Prithee, how may I serve thee, sir? I know not e'en how
most suitably to address thee, Lord ... King ... Emperor Spider!"

* * * * *

I felt like I was getting very small, but not a bit less visible, worse
luck, and even with the Change Winds inside me to give me courage, I
thought this was really too much, coming on top of everything else; it
was simply unfair.

At the same time, I realized it was to be expected that the big bosses
would have been watching us with their unblinking beady black eyes ever
since we had Introverted waiting to pounce if we should ever come out of
it. I tried to picture what was on the other side of the screen and I
didn't like the assignment.

But in spite of being petrified, I had a hard time not giggling, like
the zany at graduation exercises, at the way the other ones in Surgery
were taking it.

I mean the Soldiers. They each stiffened up like they had the old ramrod
inside them, and their faces got that important look, and they glanced
at each other and the floor without lowering their heads, as if they
were measuring the distance between their feet and mentally chalking
alternate sets of footprints to step into. The way Erich and Kaby held
the Major and Minor Maintainers became formal; the way they checked
their Callers and nodded reassuringly was positively esoteric. Even Illy
somehow managed to look as if he were on parade.

Then from beyond the screen came what was, under the circumstances, the
worst noise I've ever heard, a seemingly wordless distant-sounding
howling and wailing, with a note of menace that made me shake, although
it also had a nasty familiarity about it I couldn't place. Sid's voice