| Airs of the Office of Public Interests |
---|
1 – 9 | A bell sounds from somewhere deeper in the building. Refreshments (boiled sweets, biscuits, fresher milk) are on their way. |
10 – 19 | A cloud of pipe smoke fills the waiting room. A rector and a chanteuse are having a furious argument. |
20 – 29 | A novelist is trying to condense her story for the Auditor's consumption. Papers and ink litter the floor. |
30 – 39 | Someone's aunt is causing a scene. Numerous Londoners cower. |
40 – 49 | A Clay Man enters, looks about the waiting room, and immediately leaves. |
50 – 59 | A Neddy Man is having a quiet word with the Quizzical Auditor. There is much movement of eyebrows. |
60 – 69 | A nun is playing cards with a zailor and a devil. The devil is winning despite the nun cheating something rotten. |
70 – 79 | An embarrassed Bohemian is accompanying his new swain to the Office. Apparently there is a story to be told. |
80 – 89 | A Tomb-Colonist inspects her bandages, looking to pick up the thread of her story. |
90 – 99 | A courtier enters the waiting room surreptitiously, spies a second courtier already present, and immediately turns on his heel and leaves. |
100 | A retired judge enters the room, looking positively gleeful. Several faces pale. Many slip from the waiting room. |