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Sahed when he heard the screa about it Then he put his jacket on and strolled out into the wonderful late springin the trees, bees buzzed in the blossoh, and thunderheads on the horizon threatened rain later But, for now, the air was hot and heavy And, in the old cesspit behind the gardener's shed, a young , anyway Viar It probably wouldn't be a good idea to employ a naked flame any nearer to the pit The fall fro!' he said cheerfully 'Good race,' said the industrious treadler The voice was higher pitched than Viwoman It wasn't entirely unexpected - the Assassins' Guild are that women were at least equal to their brothers when it caed the situation soh I see you knoho I am You are?'

'Wiggs, sir,' said the swirace'

'Wiggs, eh?' said Vimes 'Famous family in the Guild “Sir” will do, by the way I think I once broke your father's leg?'

'Yes, sir He asked to be re to be sent on this contract, aren't you?' said Vi 'Cos The price on my head is at least-'

'The Guild council put it in abeyance, sir,' said the dogged swi contracts on you at present'

'Good grief, why not?'

'Couldn't say, sir,' said Miss Wiggs Her patient struggles had brought her to the edge of the pit, and now she was finding that the brickas in very good repair, quite slippery and offered no handholds Vimes knew this, because he'd spent several hours one afternoon carefully arranging that this should be so 'So ere you sent, then?'

'Miss Band sent me as an exercise,' said Jocasta 'I say, these bricks really are jolly tricky, aren't they?'

'Yes,' said Vimes, 'they are Have you been rude to Miss Band lately? Upset her in any way?'

'Oh, no, your grace But she did say I was getting overconfident, and would benefit from some advanced field work'

'Ah I see' Vimes tried to recall Miss Alice Band, one of the Assassins' Guild's stricter teachers She was, he'd heard, very hot on practical lessons 'Soshe sent you to kill me, then?' he said 'No, sir! It's an exercise! I don't even have any crossbow bolts! I just had to find a spot where I could get you in hts and then report back!'

'She'd believe you?'

'Of course, sir,' said Jocasta, looking rather hurt 'Guild honour, sir' Vis, quite a few of your chuht expect, I take a dim view of this'

'Easy to see why, sir,' said Jocasta, in the voice of one who knows that their only hope of escaping frooodwill of another person who has no pressing reason to have any 'And so you'd be amazed at the booby traps there are around the place,' Vi, even if I say it myself'

'I certainly never expected the tiles on the shed to shift like that, sir'