"Patricia C. Wrede - Magician 1 - Mairelon the Magicia" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wrede Patricia C)

she realized that the curtain was all that separated her from
discovery. She could hear the magician's patter quite clearly.
He would be able to hear her just as easily, should she be
clumsy or careless.

Kim glanced around the wagon again, painfully aware of
the need for haste. She had wasted nearly a whole verse in
her musing. The cupboards were the most likely place to
start She stepped forward, like a cat stalking a particularly
suspicious mouse, and opened the first door.

The cupboard was filled with dishes. Three mismatched
plates and a shallow ceramic soup bowl occupied the lowest
shelf, a row of china teacups hung from hooks on the bottom
of the shelf above. The upper part of the cupboard contained
a neat stack of copper pans, iron pots, and assorted lids. Kim
took long enough to make sure there was nothing hidden in
or behind any of them, then went on. Her hasty search re-
vealed nothing of any interest in the remaining cupboards,
and she turned to the long chest

The lid did not respond to her careful tug. Closer inspec-
tion revealed a hidden lock. Kim hesitated. She had nearly
three full verses of "Darlin' Jenny" left, even if she allowed
herself all of the last one as a safety margin. And the skinny
toff would hardly be pleased if all she had to tell him was that
Mairelon the Magician kept pots in his cupboards and his
chest locked. Her lips tightened, and she reached into her
pocket for the stiff bit of wire she always carried.

The lock was a good one, and the overhanging wood that
concealed it made her work more difficult. Two more verses


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of "Darlin' Jenny" went by while she twisted the wire back
and forth, coaxing the tumblers into position. She was about
to abandon her efforts when she heard a faint click and the
lid of the chest popped up a quarter of an inch.

Kim straightened in relief and pocketed the wire She took
hold of the chest's lid and lifted, forcing herself to move
slowly in case the hinges squealed. Then she held it in posi-
tion with one hand and bent over to peer inside,

Piles of brightly colored silks met her eyes. Beside them
were slotted wooden boxes, a bundle of tiny Chinese lan-
terns, several mirrors, a glass tube with a painted paper