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care? She felt she had arrived in a foreign land, where the language seemed twisted and words possessed double meanings.
    “There is really no need to alarm yourself, my dear child,” said the duchess, hardly glancing down at Sido. Her eyes searched the room for more distinguished company. “I can assure you that your magician will live to work another day.” She walked away, leaving Sido alone.
    I don’t want to grow up to be like that, thought Sido. She looked up at Count Kalliovski, who was surrounded by ladies. They reminded her of hens bobbing up and down, preening their feathers, all vying for his attention, all hoping to be first in the pecking order.
    Sido would have liked to go back into the library to see for herself what had happened to the magician, but one of the count’s men was standing guard outside and she knew that if she moved any closer she might attract unwanted attention. She moved behind a pillar and watched with a sense of relief as Kalliovski escorted two ladies up toward the card room and out of sight.
    Beside her on the first step of the staircase stood a young lady in an elaborate pink silk dress, with a hawk-nosed gentleman.
    “Do you remember the time the marquis brought in a fortune-teller? ” the young lady was asking.
    Her admirer shook his head. “Alas, I was not invited. I suppose it was Count Kalliovski’s doing.”
    “The count was not even there. The marquis sent his gamekeeper out into the countryside and he brought back this old Gypsy. She refused to tell our fortunes, no matter how much gold she was given. She would only speak to the marquis and no one else.”
    “What did she say?”
    “It was so ridiculous, it made us all laugh. She told the marquis he would lose everything to the king of the Gypsies.”
    Sido, who had been half listening to this and half looking about her, caught a glimpse of light coming from under the staircase. A door opened and a footman came through, carrying a tray of champagne glasses. Behind him Sido could just see the beginnings of a passageway. She knew then what she was going to do. Without giving it a second thought she slipped over to the door and found herself at the bottom of a flight of stone stairs. She knew there must be a way through the secret corridors to the library. It was just a matter of finding the right door.
    Gently, Yann helped Têtu to stand and with difficulty guided him up the spiral staircase and along the wooden gantry to the concealed door in the bookshelves. By now all the color in Têtu’s face had drained away. Yann knew that it was up to him to save the dwarf. His exhaustion had robbed him of his instinct to survive. What surprised Yann was that although he himself was well aware of the danger they were in, he felt no fear. His vision was clear, colors were electric, and everything seemed sharper. Every nerve of him felt completely alive.
    But the concealed door was shut fast.
    “Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here,” he said soothingly, knowing full well that the shutters of Têtu’s mind had closed down. He heard the library door open and then close with a firm click, and pulled Têtu back into the shadows.
    Count Kalliovski called out, “I know you’re both there. My man tells me there is a boy as well. There’s no point hiding. Listen to me carefully. If you don’t want to go the same way as Topolain, you’d better tell me how the Pierrot works.”
    He waited for an answer. Yann kept quiet. He could hear the count walking to and fro, trying to determine where they were.
    “I have examined the doll. It is a piece of solid wood: It could not have been worked from the inside. I am a man of science. Come now, tell me its secret.”
    “Why did you murder Topolain?” shouted Yann.
    “Quiet, boy. Dwarf, answer my question. Tell me the secret of the automaton and I will protect you. If you refuse me, I tell you this: No matter what you do, no matter where you hide, I will find you. Think carefully