The Truth

open like that?”
    William closed his mouth.
    “All right, I understand—”
    “No, I don’t think you do,” she snapped. “I looked you up in Twurp’s Peerage. Your family have never had to worry about the small stuff, have they? They’ve been some of the people who really run things. This…paper is a kind of hobby for you, isn’t it? Oh, you believe in it, I’m sure you do, but if it all goes wahooni-shaped, you’ll still have money. I won’t. So if the way it can be kept going is by filling it with what you sneer at as olds, then that’s what I’ll do.”
    “I don’t have money! I make my own living!”
    “Yes, but you were able to choose! Anyway, aristocrats don’t like to see other toffs starving. They find them silly jobs to do for serious wages—”
    She stopped, panting, and pushed some hair out of her eyes. Then she looked at him like someone who has lit the fuse and is now wondering if the barrel at the other end is bigger than she thought.
    William opened his mouth, went to shape a word, and stopped. He did it again. Finally, a little hoarsely, he said: “You’re more or less right—”
    “The next word’s going to be ‘But,’ I just know it,” said Sacharissa.
    William was aware that the printers were all watching.
    “Yes, it is—”
    “Aha!”
    “But it’s a big but. Do you mind? It’s important! Someone has to care about the…the big truth. What Vetinari mostly does not do is a lot of harm. We’ve had rulers who were completely crazy and very, very nasty. And it wasn’t that long ago, either. Vetinari might not be ‘a very nice man,’ but I had breakfast today with someone who’d be a lot worse if he ran the city, and there are lots more like him. And what’s happening now is wrong . And as for your damn parrot fanciers, if they don’t care about anything much beyond things that go squawk in cages then one day there’ll be someone in charge of this place who’ll make them choke on their own budgies. You want that to happen? If we don’t make an effort all they’ll get is silly… stories about talking dogs and Elves Ate My Gerbil, so don’t give me lectures on what’s important and what’s not, understand?”
    They glared at one another.
    “Don’t you talk to me like that.”
    “Don’t you talk to me like that.”
    “We’re not getting enough advertising. The Inquirer ’s getting huge adverts from the big Guilds,” said Sacharissa. “That’s what’ll keep us going, not stories about how much gold weighs.”
    “What am I supposed to do about it?”
    “Find a way of getting more ads!”
    “That’s not my job!” William shouted.
    “It’s part of saving your job! We’re just getting penny-a-line advertisements from people wanting to sell surgical supports and backache cures!”
    “So? The pennies add up!”
    “So you want us to be known as The Paper You Can Put Your Truss In?”
    “Er…excuse me, but are we producing an edition?” said Goodmountain. “Not that we aren’t enjoying all this, but the color’s going to take a lot of extra time.”
    William and Sacharissa looked around. They were the focus of attention.
    “Look, I know this means a lot to you,” said Sacharissa, lowering her voice, “but all this…political stuff, this is the Watch’s job, not ours. That’s all I’m saying.”
    “They’re stuck. That’s what Vimes was telling me.”
    Sacharissa stared at his frozen expression. Then she leaned over and, to his shock, patted his hand.
    “Perhaps you are having an effect, then.”
    “Hah!”
    “Well, if they’re going to pardon Vetinari, maybe it’s because they’re worried about you .”
    “Hah! Anyway, who are ‘they’?”
    “Well…you know… them . The people who run things. They notice things. They probably read the paper.”
    William gave her a wan smile.
    “Tomorrow we’ll find someone to get more ads,” he said. “And we’ll definitely need those extra staff. Er…I’m going to go for a little walk,” he added. “And I’ll get you that key.”
    “Key?”
    “You wanted a dress for the ball?”
    “Oh. Yes. Thank you.”
    “And I don’t think those men will be back,” said William. “I’ve got a feeling that there isn’t a shed anywhere in town that’s as well guarded as this one right at the moment.”
    Because Vimes is waiting to see who tries to get at us next, he thought. But he decided not to say so.
    “What exactly are you going to do?” said Sacharissa.
    “First, I’m