this Place just as
surely as the word of _der Fuehrer_ rules Chicago. And as I shouldn't
have to emphasize to you, Bruce, the Spiders have punishments that
would make my countrymen in Belsen and Buchenwald--well, pale a little.
So while there is still a shadow of justification for our interpreting
your remarks as utterly tasteless clowning--"

"Babble on," Bruce said, giving him a loose downward wave of his hand
without looking. "I made you people a proposal." He paused. "How do you
stand, Sidney Lessingham?"

Then I felt my legs getting weak, because Sid didn't answer right away.
The old boy swallowed and started to look around at the rest of us. Then
the feeling of reality clamping down got something awful, because he
didn't look around, but straightened his back a little. Just then, Mark
cut in fast.

"It grieves me, Bruce, but I think you are possessed. Erich, he must be
confined."

* * * * *

Kaby nodded, almost absently. "Confine or kill the coward, whichever is
easier, whip the woman, and let's get on to the Egyptian battle."

"Indeed, yes," Mark said. "I died in it. But now perhaps no longer."

Kaby said to him, "I like you, Roman."

Bruce was smiling, barely, and his eyes were moving and fixing. "You,
Ilhilihis?"

Illy's squeak box had never sounded mechanical to me before, but it did
as he answered, "I'm a lot deeper into borrowed time than the rest of
you, tra-la-la, but Papa still loves living. Include me very much out,
Brucie."

"Miss Davies?"

Beside me, Maud said flatly, "Do you think I'm a fool?" Beyond her, I
saw Lili and I thought, "My God, I might look as proud if I were in her
shoes, but I sure as hell wouldn't look as confident."

Bruce's eyes hadn't quite come to Beau when the gambler spoke up. "I
have no cause to like you, sir, rather the opposite. But this Place has
come to bore me more than Boston and I have always found it difficult to
resist a long shot. A very long one, I fear. I am with you, sir."

There was a pain in my chest and a roaring in my ears and through it I
heard Sevensee grunting, "--sicka these lousy Spiders. Deal me in."

And then Doc reared up in front of the bar and he'd lost his hat and his
hair was wild and he grabbed an empty fifth by the neck and broke the
bottom of it all jagged against the bar and he waved it and screeched,
"_Ubivaytye Pauki--i Nyemetzi!_"

And right behind his words, Beau sang out fast the English of i