Jean—Yes, the Great Break when the wall fell in and poor Didon was crushed under the toppled mason-work.
Angelica—That made all our wars seem useless and small, didn’t it? But do you think that the great pressure of the crowd of boys and men from the Branch of Blind Alleys that took up your side and fought with Didon’s crew, made the gallery wall cave in? Or did it just cave in of itself?
Jean—How can I tell? It may have been either, or both. The walls are always falling in the Old Freestone galleries.
Angelica—It is this never knowing the causes of things that worries me! Now when the water began to flow right in to the top of the Main Cross Tunnel and all the men were so frightened by that, as if the whole Darker Realm were to come to an end, why were they so much more frightened than usual? And I overheard them talking about a diver going down from above. Now if a diver was to go down from above to stop the hole, where was he to dive from?
Jean—O, the explanation of all that is easy enough. I think there must have been a river above there and a bridge.
Angelica—A bridge? (in astonishment) a bridge above there? A bridge like this one I am standing on? Are there bridges above us? Is there a world above with bridges and galleries and air-conduits and lizards and lizard-wars and—and breaks?
Jean—(Laughing) O no! I am certain that if there were a world above, there wouldn’t be any wars and breaks in it!
Angelica—I am sure I don’t see how you know that. You can’t imagine anything else for the people to do but roll tool-cars, clean pipes, and repair breaks, can you?
Jean—I can’t imagine it, no; but I am sure if there were a world above it would not be so sad and dark as this.
Angelica—Dark? What does that mean?