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well give up,” said the only witness of my modest wonder-working.
    “No catch?” I sniffed. “There’s nothing forbidden about it. Just ordinary manual dexterity.”
    There was a knock at the door.
    “Excellent,” I said. “That’s either Sir Max, which I doubt, or my morning kamra, which I very much hope. Let’s see.”
    My guest drew himself up, arranging the folds of his looxi.
    These journalists have a thick skin. They aren’t even afraid of a monster like me! I thought, going out to welcome my breakfast.
    Naturally, I had to share my kamra and cookies with Anday Pu. I didn’t actually mind. Ella seemed so fond of him already. But it began to look like he was planning to occupy my living room until kingdom come, and it was time for me to report for duty. Well, the poor sucker was just asking for a nervous breakdown.
    After breakfast I went back upstairs, where, not without a touch of sardonic anticipation, I wrapped myself in the Mantle of Death. If they make a monster out of you, you’ve got to derive the maximum amount of pleasure from it. These were my thoughts as I was going downstairs again.
    “Uh-oh, why didn’t I catch right away?” Anday Pu burst out with fearful enthusiasm. “So you are Sir Max? I might as well give up. The dinner’s over once and for all!”
    I laughed. His pet phrase about the end of dinner was wonderfully apt. Moreover, the comical brazenness of the journalist was balm to my heart, fed up as it was with the timid glances and fearful silence of the citizens of Echo.
    “ Now do you catch?” I said, smiling. “Well, what was it you wanted to know about my cats? Hurry it up, though. I’ve got to go to work.”
    “The cats are to die for!” Anday said wistfully. “But I’ll be on my way, if you’re in a hurry. I’ve outstayed my welcome as it is. Forgive me, but I didn’t catch. I hope I haven’t caused you too much trouble.” His boldness was quickly diminishing.
    “Not too much,” I lied. “You can send me a call if there are any questions.”
    “May I? Thank you, Sir Max. I’ll definitely—”
    Anday ducked into the hallway and shut the door softly behind him as he left, so I never had the pleasure of finding out what he “definitely.” I shrugged and set out for the House by the Bridge. I still had time to run over to the Glutton and back with Juffin.

     
    “You’re looking great, Max,” said Juffin. “Dining at Boboota’s has really done you good. Maybe you ought to visit him more often.”
    “I knew you’d say that. Make light of the state of my health—it’s all the same to me. Today I had a dream.”
    “A dream?” Juffin raised his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t be so eager to rejoice about that if I were you.”
    “Oh, a hole in the heavens above it all,” I said with a dismissive wave of the hand. “In the first place, it wasn’t a nightmare. In the second place, yesterday even a nightmare would have been welcome. Have you already heard about Boboota’s mushroom?”
    “Just don’t get it into your head to tell me about it.” The boss’s panic looked almost unfeigned. “I won’t survive it for the eighteenth time.”
    “Melifaro told the story just five times, Juffin,” Kurush interjected. “You sometimes have a tendency to exaggerate.”
    “No, joy of my heart, five times when you were here. He dogged my footsteps wherever I went, blathering on about that sinning mushroom.”
    “Melifaro beat me to it, the mangy dog,” I said. “Too bad for you, Juffin. I could have told it better.”
    “I don’t doubt it for a moment. But I’ve already had an earful of that story. Let’s go to the Glutton . I have something interesting to report.”
    “What a treat!”
    “No, not a treat. Just trivia. How you love your job!”
    “I hate it,” I said in a dignified tone. “It’s just that I’m a shameless careerist and I’m trying to suck up, isn’t that obvious?”
    The upshot of the matter was that after a hearty breakfast, I