Mosca and Clent trailed their way along the Drimps, laden like two peddlers, and won hardly a glance from the shopkeepers, who were decorating sills and eaves with every ribbon, kerchief, and stocking they could find to serve as flags. Many boats on the river had run up the silver swallowtail flag of celebration, and the kites of the coffeehouses danced and spiraled instead of hauling their strings in a workaday fashion.

“I suppose,” Clent asked casually, “I suppose there were no ready-printed books lying around the press? Not that I am saying you would sully your eyes with Birdcatcher books . . .”

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

“Y’know what, Mr. Clent? I don’t think books make you mad at all. I mean, I started readin’ ’em really slow, an’ stop-pin’ now and then to see if I felt any more inklinged than before. Once I was feelin’ all fuzzy and light in my head, an’ I thought maybe that was me startin’ to go mad. But then I realized that I was just bored. The Birdcatcher books were mostly just boring, and a bit silly.” Mosca wiped her nose up the length of her sleeve. “My father’s book was much better.

“It was this funny story ’bout how all these people up in the Capital was arguing ’bout how they had to have a king or queen, and they had to choose right, ’cause the Beloved knew who should get the crown and you couldn’t wish it different without being sinful. They argued so loud, the Beloved heard, an’ started tryin’ to decide between ’em who should rule. They held a big, old meeting in the horizon halls but they couldn’t agree to anything. Syropia wanted to crown the meanest and maddest to show her forgiveness, an’ Cramflick wanted someone with an ’ead like a potato, an’ Sussuratch wanted a sailor, an’ while they were arguing Palpitattle an’ Varple stole all the food for the meeting. An’ while they was all cooin’ an’ squeakin’ an’ boomin’ an’ shriekin’ like six winter winds trapped in a chicken coop, each of ’em thought of a sudden that if they ran back to the world of men, they could get their word in first.