I understand so very little. But I am not afraid to look: I am a good observer at last. My eyes are open, and I am not afraid.

And death? I don't fear death. I dread the absence of it.

Ah, books." Ziegler, smiling, came up behind me. "They bob like corks on an ocean. Float between worlds, messages in bottles.

Since Deacon Hollingshead's arrival in town last July the Dominion had been hard at work, cleansing New York City of moral corruption. "Corruption" is a popular word with the enthusiasts of the Dominion, usually uttered as a prelude to the knife, the docket, or the noose.

We'll do what life always does defy expectations.

You must not make the mistake of thinking that because nothing lasts, nothing matters.

It was possible at last to hear the silence to appreciate that there was a silence, deep and potent, out there beyond the pretension of the light.