The door was heaved open. I could see many Iremonger clogs now, rushing in, making a fuss. They didn’t notice all those new things on the back shelves, not even the bathtub which had managed to get itself under a serving table. Then I saw amongst all those clogs, new feet, two pairs, wearing scuffed boots, I heard them, whoever they were wearing the boots.

‘It’s escaped, the thing’s escaped.’

‘Where is it? Where could it have gone?’

‘Hiding somewhere but we’ll find it.’

‘Do you think, Odith, that it used the dumb waiter?’

‘Well it may I suppose, Orris, and if it has it’s uphouse now.’

‘I wanted you to have first cut of it, Odith. What meat there, eh? We’ll find it yet. We’ll hook it up in the cold room, let it drip a bit. Shall we hang it, Odith?’

‘They’d let us, wouldn’t they, a thing like that?’

‘Bound to.’

‘I’ll have the soup brought in.’

‘What an evening!’

‘The Gathering’s dispersed, at least there’s that.’

There were sounds of soup being poured out and tables being laid, and then I heard the procession of so many Iremongers coming in for their supper, same as usual, as if nothing had happened. But the blessing this night was led by Mr Briggs and not by the butler and I heard no noise from Mrs Piggott at all.

All those serving Iremongers muttering amongst themselves, talking about the dispersed Gathering, which, little they knew, was still about them, in that very room, a part of it, still there, ungathered at the moment, but lurking. They talked about poor Tummis too, lost outside. And that in turn got them talking about other Iremongers who had been lost in the heaps before him. When they tried to describe the lost serving Iremongers they could only mumble, ‘Short Iremonger,’ or ‘Iremonger with the limp,’ ‘Iremonger with the mole on her cheek,’ ‘Iremonger who had once worked on the laundry mangles.’ And all their words got out between slurps.

‘There’ll be some shovelling to do in the morning.’

‘The door’s fair dented already. It’ll hold, won’t it?’

‘It should, it should.’

‘Even if it doesn’t they’ll just block the passage off, let the rooms around the doors fill up with the heaps but we’ll be fine, we’ll be safe, it shan’t reach us.’

‘It’ll never break through the second doors.’

‘Never has.’

‘Nor will tonight, I’m certain.’

After a bit, I could hear that the redhead from the orphanage was there, just a few feet away from me.

‘I’m to do firegrates, they say, is that good?’

‘Oh yes, very good, that’s a fine situation.’

‘We’re so glad you’re here.’

‘You’ve come home, ain’t you?’

‘Yes, you’re home now.’