rg0

Titus Gtoan

Titus C,roan
,.f lYes, I do,,said Claricc. know.,

I9I

'Keda,' she said to herself, 'Keda, this i8 tragedy.' But as hcr words hung ernptily in the morning air, she clenched her hands for she could feel no anguish and the bright bird that had filled her breast was still l singing . . . was still singing.

;,f had been silent lone Lr 'Oh no, you doft,,.she"said, and-peered at her sister in the mirror over the reflection of her own'shr;fi;;: il; she not had forty-nine years in which to set accustomea to trre p-henomenon shc must sureiv have been frighteiled to u"loia-ii

*ff i:,'tffil;iiilfJ.x#lI}ffi

trffi :;t1,ff#:#i,h:
nekt to her own face

THE ROOM OT ROOTS'

'THIT's quite enough for today,' said Lady Cora, Iaying down her embroidcry on a table beside her chair. 'But you?ve only sewn three stitches, Cora,' said Lady Clarice, drawing out a thread to arm's length. oYou have been watching me,' she Cora-turned hcr eyes suopiciousiy. said. 'Haven't you?'

;tT'"Hfflliii,X;:,Tli;f;:;';';*H;*";i.;;"";1."htilff
I]9.3rv her sister,s

*; il::',

mo-uth opening in the mirror. 'f do,' came the voic, behind her' 'because I know whatyou'ac been thinking. I,',

'It

wasn't private,' replied her sister. 'Sewing isn't privatc"

She

tossed her head.

'Half a petal, and quite enough, too, for 'a day like this' Is
time?'

Cora was not convinced and sat rubbing her knees together, sullenly. 'And now I'vc finished as well,n said Clarice, breaking thc silcncc'

it

tea

'Why do you always want to know thc time?' said Cora. "'[s it breakfast time, Cora?" . . . "Is it dihncr time, Coqa?" . . ' "Is it tea time, Cora?" - on and on and on. You know that it doesn't make any . i dilhrence wlut the time is.' 'It does if you're hungry,' said Clarice' 'No, it doisn't. Nothing mattcrs very much; even if you're hungry.' I 'Yes, it does,' her sister conte$ted,'l hww it does,' 'Clarice Groan,' said Cora sternly, rising from her chair, 'you know &o much.' Clarice did not answer, but bit her thin, Ioose lower lip. 'We usually go on much longer with our sewing, don't wc, Cora?'she said at last. 'We sometimes go on for hours and hours, and we nearly always talk a lot, but we haven't today, havc wc, Cora?' 'No,' said Cora, 'Why haven't we?' 'I don't know. Because we haven't needed to, I supposc, you silly
thing.' . Ciarice got up from her chair and smoothed her purple satin-,.and then lookei archly at her sister. 'J know why we haven't been talking,'
she said.

whul then? r misht as that I want to.now,, said Claiice. ,I think I,ll to mysel{, atthoush it,s.obdous.i CritiliJ.'*eat empha.is keeo it to ihi, word'obvious'' 'Iin't it tea time yet? --' sharil ring the ber, cora? what a pity

-oliifill []Hli-S"'#pp;"' ]l;;;iiind'

'I don't know
it's too windy for the ,r..." 'You were thinkins

and The logic of this answ-er^made noJasting impression upon Clarice. for although it s,enced her.for a moment sh-e co'ntinued: ,shan I teli you what you've been brooding;i;;il;;;kJ '""

ilff}'-ilF

"*f,"om 'You think you do., said Cora, ,but I know yo'don,t,because I know vou've u.." tt int i"t ;tf d;:;J; r've been thinkins

Steerpike boy,, said Cora, who had sidled up to her sister and "r-r-lU! starirrg at irer frlri'rJi'"tos. quarters. she felt she had rather turned t"ui8, Ci",# by her sudden renewal ofthe subjcct

i"r *.

3gr;*:ff r:ruxs*,rip.,,,ii"{]"H!ili[l?#]xY; ttrH5,H[;l]*:*11**;; ";;ffi ldIJ;t' 1'i53li k grass o., ti.;; r:tl ltr"#it.-,"fi ::: r5i ;,lrnr:l,t,,r:f "nd $;1ir.;i'#;il,,.?,Tffif1,ffiilff1
fr:|l:*:f:L:e:-e -nTrow aoor*1ry, """ll.ai"s to the kitchen the roomi of ihe two and-the other to tirc dinins-too; ihe dark yeltow Ih" {1t vellow bedroom of tf," t*ii.. . 'He said he would ,s,l ,-"ia Eirii... ,you heard him,

ross rhe r.ailiro ";, ^..^_Tq l!91. ;::"j"'ff .:'P:*::":.:",1:x1l'f *'I;;#ffi #fT#'",lollfi Sffi,*fil;1i;;:T#1 "t-ry! ;1;, ;ffiiffifi HI fr

,,*l"t:^._, i"" JiT,lr,r:",f 1,.1", tha t long ago. D id n, t you?, -6v' 'tvw Ir:.I,f, burning fire fl -/ ---'oshadows. ws l'eul r(now" A freshly:t..:il-c:ll",v*rr;ilil;id;urtif ?1"'J: disrespectfully io and
,

"";;;

i[ T.#
fro

,;";;:#?-":'.'"1:":'"9 r"r,^^Jfl,}

'Oh no, you don't.'

"*ult 'I'm not dea{,' said Cora.

didn,t

r92

Titas Groaa

Titus

who we are. Wc're Lady Clirice and Cora G-roan; that,s who we dre.', 'Cora and Clarice,'her sister.corrected her, ,of Gormenghast., 'But no one is awed when they see us. Hc said he'd maki them be., 'Make them be what, dcaf?' Cora had begun to unbend now that she found thcir thoughts had beeri idintical. 'Make them be awed,' said Clarice. .That,s what they ought to be. Oughtn't they, Cora?' oYes; but they won't do it.' 'No. That's what it is,' said Clarice, ,although t tried this morning., 'What, dear?' said Cora. lltried tlis morning, though,' repeated Clarice. 'Trid what?' asked Cora in a raiher patronizing voice. 'You know when I said "I,ll go for 4 i^unter,'?,handkerchief from her flat bosbm. ,What about it?' .'I di{n't go to the hathroom at all., Clarice sat down suddenly and stilfly. (I took some int instead - btwk ink., 'What for?' 'I .won't tell-you lct, fol the time isnlt ripc,, said Clarice importantly; and her.nostrils quivered like a mustang's. .I took the black ink, and'I poured-it into a jug, There was loe of it. Then. I said to, myseld, what hasn't got a speck of Groan blood in her veins like we f,ave, but only the common sort that's no use. So I took the ink and I h.new what I would do. I didn't tell you because you might havc told me not to, and I don,t tnow why.I'm tclling you now- becausc you may think I was wrong to
does it?'

'He said we weren't being honoured cnough and we must remembcr

Groan

rgg

jrg.'

said clarice. 'one of the stolen birds. But the others saw me. -'Ycs,' Thcy had,.their mouths open. They saw my aecision. b; C;;ifi. i"g,tr" to ao *ai]i, 9ldl',, somy d,ecision was no use. I hadn,t fighte4ed, so I ran all the way back; *a'rrori I thlnk Pu *ash "nyrt ooi ti"

She got u.p !o put hq i{ca into operation when there was a discreet tapping at their door, Visitors ,,r""iery few and f", Uetre"" uil;;y werc too excitcd for a moment to say ,Comc in., cora was the 6rst to open her molth una hir brank voice was raised more loudly than she had intended: tCome

'Yes.' Cora sat down and pioduced a minute but heavily scented

of sandy-coloured hair was'darkened,.,itt g.ease, arra

thrust forward as though they were peering out of a window. r he door opcned and Steerpike entered, in elegant stick with a shiny metal handle under his arm. ir[ow that he naai"""ourt.i""J'*ririri th3 pilfercd s,ord-srick to his satisfactio", t i wherever he went. Hc was dressed in his habit"a biacf ;;e il; agluir-ed a gold chain which he wore about his ncck. rrir *"uer; qooiu

in.' claricc was at her side.-Their shoulders touchcd. Their heads were

"*ii.Jil;;#iffii;
ild;;;;;;

down over his pale forehead in a wide curie. whcn he had closed the door behind him he tuckcd his stick smartty

you tell me such a lot, and what I tell you as wcll, which is that Gertrude is no bcttcr than us * in fact, she,s nol as good because she

under his arm and bowed,

'ir

I
i:

do it; but it's all over now 8o it docsn't-mafter what you think, dEar,

pnvacy, -*.YT. wlth but the summary knock at the panels of your door as mv mediator, must be considered ih" of imiertirrcncJ;;;;;.;;; I come upon a serious errand., "cme 'Who's died?' said Cora. 'Is it Gertrude?' echoed Clarice. , 'Y on9 has died,' said Steerpike, approaching them. ,I will tell vou
t'mOSt

tilr,:hip_:,' he said, 'my unwarranted intrusion upon your

l] 9o'! know yet,' said Cora rather peevishly. 'Well, I knew that Gertrude had to be in ths Cenrral Hall to receive the seven most hidcou! !"ggn.r of the Outcr Dwcllings and pour a.lot of oil on them at nine o'clock, so I went through the dJor of the Central Hall at nine o'clock with my jug full of irik, and I walked up to her at nine o'cloc\ but it was not what I.wanted because she hid a black dress on.' 'What do you mean?' said Cora. 'Well, I was going to pour the ink all over her dress., 'That would be good, au1 goad,r'said Cora. .Did you?, 'f9s,' gld Clarice, 'but it didn't show because her dress was black,, and.she didn't sec me pouring it, anyway, because she was talking to a
starling.'

[:_3:lr_1"

,Will

.lly:fd if I were permitted-to ippr""i"t.-f,oui embroideries. you ailow me to see them?' He looked at
them both

a fcw minutes; bui first, my dear t]"avrfripr,

i-ilil;;
in

turn

themtefore; at the prunesquallors, it was,, l[.^Tid Clarice to her sister. ,Hc :?*ething,about
cmbroiderics.' said he wanted to s';e trre* bcfori.

Clarice had a firm bclief_that as long as she whispcrrid, no matter w loudly, no one would hear *orJ'of what she'said,'exc*, except her h;;

.].ly:$ do,you 'which

'If I

him,'said her sisrer. ,I'm not blind, am I?,

"

am not mistaken,' said Steerpike by way of an answer, ,the :auons ol your ncedle are upon the walls around us, and,having scen

Room of Roots or the Tree?,

want to see first?' said clatice. ,our needlcworh or

rg+

Titus Groan

them, as it were, in a flash, I have no choice but to say that I would first of all prefer to examine thim more closely, and then if I may, I wouid be delighted to visit.your Room of Roots.' ' '"Creations of our rieedle", he said,' whispered Clarice in her loud, flat manner that filled the room. 'Naturally,' said her sister, and shrugged her shoulders again, and turning her face to Steerpike gave to the right hand cornir of her inexpressive mouth a slight twiGh upwards, which although it was as mirthlcss as the curve between the lips of a dcad haddock, rias taken by

Titus Groan rgs ,: - with our left hands..O.ur right arms are starved, you know,, she said,

'

Stcerpike to imply that shc and he were abovc making such

comments,

o6udoz.r

begin,' said Steerpike, placing his innoccnt-looking swordstick on a table, 'may I inquire out of my innocence why you ladies were put to thc inconvenience of bidding mc to enter your room? Surcly your {botman has forgotten himself. Why was hs not at thi 9o9r to inquire who wishcd to sce you and to give you parriculars bcfore you allowed yourselves to be invaded? Forgive my curiosity, my dcar Ladyships,-tut where was your footman? Would you wiih
me to spcak to him?' The sisters stared at each other and then at the youth. At last Clarice
said;

-'!cfore I

,, ,,
r,l

turning tg Steerpike. 'They'rI qrit., qrit. ,tarved.' 'Indeed, your Ladyship,, said Steerpike. ,How is that?, 'Not only our left arms,'claricc broke in, 'but alr down our left-hand . sides.and our right-hand legs, too. That's why they're.utt",,tim n was the epilcptic fits rrhich we had. That's what didit, and that,s what makes our needlework all the more clever., 'And beautiful,' said Cora. 'I cannot but agree,' said Steerpike. -Clarice. .We 'But nobody.sees thm,, said are left alone. Nobody wants our advice on any_thin-g. Gcrtrude docsn't take any orui you [now what we ought to haie, don;t-you, "oti"" 1or does $epulchrave.
Cora?'

'We haven't got a footman,' Stccrpike, who had turncd away for this very purpose, wheeled abour, and then took a step bacLwards as though struik. ' 'No footman!' he said, and directed his gaze at Cora. Shc shook her head. 'Only an old lady who smells,, shc said. ,No footman at all.' . Steerpikc walked to the table and, leaning his hands upon it, gazed lnto space.
footman

,,, I rather liked them,' she said. i, .. Sr::?i|<", wondering where on earth her thoughts had taken r, tilted his head on one side as though reflecting uion the truttr in her, trcr i, remark, when Cora's voice (like tlie body of I pLice ii"nrf"t*J-in,o ; sound) asked: . oYou rather liked raiat?, -, 'My.convulsio:rs,' said Clarice earnestly, .When.my left arm became r starved for the first time. -yoz remember, Cora, don',t you? When we
I rather liked thdm., cora-rustled up to her and raised a forefinger in front ofher sister's ^ face. 'cla.rice Groan,' she said, 'we finished talking about that long ago. W.9'... tdking Power now. Why can't yo-, follo* what-weYre talking about? -about always losing your place. I've noticed that.' You are 'what about the Room of Rooisi' aslied steerpike with affected gai*y. lwhy T it calted the Room of Rooisi I 'Don't you know?'came their voices, ,you $ee how we,ve been forgotten. ,,'{9.a-o.sn't know,' said Clarice.
had oury'rst fits?

'Powerr' said Cora. . 'That's right. Power. That's thc very thing we want.' crarice turned ;,, 'her eyel to s.teerpike. Then she smoothed thI shiny purpr" ort *, Ji"rr.

' I

'Yes,' said her sister,

'What, then?'said Clarice. ,Tell me. Tell me.,

,I know.,

'Their Ladyships Cora and Clarice Groan of Gormenghast have no - have no one save an old lady who smells. W-here are their servants? Where are their retinus, their s,rrarms of attendants?, And then in a voice little above a whisper: 'This must be seen to. Thie must end.' With a clicking of his tonguc he srraightened his back. 'And now,' he continued in a livelier voice, 'the needlework is waiting., - What $teerpike had said, as they toured the walls, bcgan ro rc-

i , ,

'

;;il;",rig;;l

fertilize thoee eceds of revolt which he had sown at thc Pruneiquallors'. He watched thcm out of thc corner of his eyes as he flatteicd their handiwork, and he co',ld see that although it was a great pleasure for them to show their craft, yet their minds were continually ieturning to the quesrion he had raised. 'We do it all with our left hands, don,tive, Coral' Clarice said, as she pointed to an ugly green-and-red rabbit of intricate needlework. 'Yes,' said Cora, 'it takes a long time because it's all done like that

He didn't know about our,,Room of Roots., was.nolkept tong in-ignorance. He followed the two purple _,_S_,::rpil,. nlnepins through the door, and after passing down a short passage, uora opened a massive door at'the far end *hose hinges courd hare done with a gill of oil apiece, and followed by , Room of Roots. steerpike in his turn steppcd overher sisier entered the the threshold and his ' curiosity was more than assqaged. :, If 'the name of the room wai unusual thcre was no doubt about its :,;i'bcing apt. It was certainly a room of iootr" friot of a few ,i*fi., u.p"**

196

Titus Groan

formations, but of a.thousand branching, writhing, coiling, intirtwining, diverging, converging, interlacing limbs whosc origin cven Steerpikeis quick eyes were unable for some time to discover. He found eventually that the thickening stems convergcd at a tall, narow apcrture on the far side of thc room, through the uppcr half of which the sky was pouring a grcy, amorphous ligh1. tt seemcd at first

15r3ll t l*,,,:q ":*- qr:'; Yi, o^onot onry the Roots but l:glTjly,:r,"ugh tqe Tree whose branches had once drawn uuri."."""
emerald jets'

r97

as though

it

would be impossible to stir at all

in this convoluting

were looking out into the evening, Steerpike made an attempt'at following them, but was soon inextricably lost in the writhing maze.
,

meehwork, but Steerpike was amazed to see.that thc twins werc moving about frccly in the labyrinth. Ycars of experience had taught thcm,the possiblc approaches to the window. They had already relched it and Wherever he turned he was faced with a network of weird arms that rose-and fell, dippcd and ilawed, motionlcss yet alive with,serpentine rhythms, Yct the roots were dead. Once thc room must have becn filled with carth, but now, suspended for the most part in the higher reaches of the chamber, the thread-like extremities clawed impotently in the air. Nor was it enough that Steerpike should find a room so incongruously monopolized, but that every one of these twisting terminals should be luil-painhd was cven more astonishing. Thc various main limbs and their woodcn tributaries, even down to the minutegt rivulct of root, were painted in their own especial colours, so that it appcared as though seven coloured boles had hrccd their leafless branches through the window, ycllow, rd and gjeen, violet and pale blue, coral pink and orangc. The concentration of effort needed for thc execution of this work must have been considerable, let alone the aknost superhuman dilficulties and vexations that must have resulted from the elforts to eotablish, among thc labyrinthic entanglements of the finer roots, which tcndril belongcd to which branch, which branch to which limb, and which limb to which trunk, for only after discovering its source could its correct colour bc applied. The idea had been that the birds on enrering should choqsc those roots whose colours most nearly approximated to their own plumage,

'

'
l
,rt

Alorlqside th" "na'ru[aiuiae. led up to a smalt platform whiJh,csteJ;rh"

to dividc

grvjng them some sense of that distinctionwhich th;t wei, J"ri"a. around for - They turned thcir--eyes from its branches and looked^", .Can you $teerpike. _He was still hot unravellcd. assist me; my dear ", ' Ladyships?' he called, peering through a skein'of p".pii n-Uro. don't you come to thls windiw?,;"iJ CL;i;": ]Yty 'He can't find the way,,said Cora. 'Can't he? I don,t see why not,, said Clarice. iGo and sho* him., lpggaule,he can't,, said iora, .'All right. But he musr be very stupid,, said Clarice, walking through the dense walls of roots which r""rnid io op"., up before t.r?rra again behind her back. When she "tor" it was only by practicauy ,r.uJing i,".il :19, a're ro rnreact tus way towards the windpw. At the window there was a little more.space, foi the seven stems which wedged their way through its lower half protruded some four,feet i"to tir.

lnro rrs_hrghe_st twigs,.and, long ago, burst forth each April with its It was this Tree thit rias their chief source oiluririr"iio",

llt

..""U.JTt.frG;;;J;:;*, ;; i;; ;;;;", ii"*;il"i;::.

arii".J,

*in*trt:fl]j#:3,:fmt
;irilil;;;;;.;ifi;.. TiiJ
yp",ff

,i

clim.bed ,f: steps and saw the main trunk of the tree noatlng out hoiizontally into space and then running "-fl:..OtUe ,p ,o gi..,

,..!;,*

outside,', said Cora directty Stee"pit<e

t*

rI
,'il

J
.i,

il :ili
,,.iil,l

, fI:.1^,I_tgl6-qurp,

they_ had 'prcferred it to nest among roots whose hue wds i\il complemafiqrry to their own, The work'had taken the sisters well ovcr three years, and yet when ,,-$

or if

.,,;:,i[

all had,been completed the project for which all this work had been designed had proved to be empty, the Room of Roots a hilure, their hopes frozen. From this mortification the twins had never fully

it& rit$

recovered, trt is true that the room, as a room, gave them pleasurb, but that the birds never approached it, let alone settled and nesred there, # was a festcring sore at the back of what minds they had. d# Against this nagging disappointment was the positive pride which ;Jl# i,u
i,iffi

was.in rearity .no"gf il, ir,, "'r"r. conveniently flat on its upper surface. Wlien it reached that , :f ^*.,r ascend and branch ;. f:::X:::.-1,:..-q": to could easily have out, the wooden highway accommodated ten o, irelve | 1ryT" ,1,o ?.n areaarhat group. , peo?le-standing in close trca,, he said, ,Iim all in favour of it. Has 1.as 'D.finit.ly acan rcmember it been dead . long as you it?, i 'O.f,course,'said Claricd. \ \ n-or as old as lhat,, :' naq made lor over . - -I.'r: .said Cora, and as this was the first ioke she a vear, she.tried to smile, but her facial mus-cles ---' had .,bec-ome, through loni neglect, unusable. 'Not so old as what?, said Clarice. lll ; -. 'You don't understand,' said cora. 'you are much srower than i am. t'f'll've noticcd that.'
i'i
,i,
'

frbm theroof tops, half.a mile away ;"u, til;;; "silesky-6eld. tte 1ay h9w, what had then seemed a perilous balancing act on the

height, and as he saw it Le recognirea

it

" tree he had studied

;ffiil

}l,