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'Yes Tomjon's still a bit wild He needs an older head around the place'

'I'llyou You've been like a son to me How old are you, exactly? I never did know'

'A hundred and two'

Vitoller nodded gloo him up

'You've been like a father to me, then,' he said

'It evens out in the end,' said Hwel diffidently 'Half the height, twice the age You could say that on the overall average we live about the sahed 'Well, I don't knohat I will do without you and Tomjon around, and that's a fact'

'It's only for the su In fact it'sYou said yourself it'd be good experience'

Vitoller looked wretched and, in the chilly air of the half-finished theatre, a good deal smaller than usual, like a balloon teeks after the party He prodded sos distractedly with his stick

'We grow old, Master Hwel At least,' he corrected his at o, do you?'

'I was all for it at first You know Then I thought, there's destiny afoot Just when things are going well, there's always bloody destiny I mean, that's where he came from

So hiain'

'It's only for the summer--'

Vitoller held up a hand 'Don't interrupt I'd got the right dramatic flow there'

'Sorry'

Flick, flick, went the stick on the wood shavings, knocking them into the air

'I mean, you know he's not h,' said Hwel 'This hereditary business isn't all it's cracked up to be'

'It's fine of you to say that'

'Iplays Dwarfs aren't even supposed to be able to read I shouldn't worry too much about destiny, if I was you I was destined to be ahalf the time'

'But you said he looks like the Fool person I can't see it ht'

'Could be soed Destiny was funny stuff, he knew You couldn't trust it Often you couldn't even see it Just when you knew you had it cornered, it turned out to be so else – coincidence, ainst it, and it was standing behind you Then just when you thought you had it nailed down it walked aith the hammer

He used destiny a lot As a tool for his plays it was even better than a ghost There was nothing like a bit of destiny to get the old plot rolling But it was a mistake to think you could spot the shape of it And as for thinking it could be controlled

Granny Weatherwax squinted irritably into Nanny Ogg's crystal ball It wasn't a particularly good one, being a greenish glass fishing float brought back from forn seaside parts by one of her sons It distorted everything including, she suspected, the truth

'He's definitely on his way,' she said, at last 'In a cart'

'A fiery white charger would have been favourite,' said Nanny Ogg 'You know Caparisoned, and that'

'Has he got ato see

Granny Weatherwax sat back

'You're a disgrace, the pair of you,' she said 'I don't know –away like a couple of rat 'You've got to have one We could make hiot a spell for that You take some thunderbolt iron,' she said uncertainly, 'and then youwith that old stuff,' said Granny 'You can wait days for the das to hit and then they nearly take your arm off'

'And a strawberry birth the interruption

The other two looked at her expectantly

'A strawberry birthot to have if you're a prince codom That's so's everyone will know O'course, I don't kno they know it's strawberry'

'Can't abide strawberries,' said Granny vaguely, quizzing the crystal again

In its cracked green depths, sone lobsters, a ed the rest of the co latty

Ithere, would he? All those others ood coot to co could happen

I daresay the armour and swords is in the carts

She detected a twinge of doubt, and set out to quell it instantly There isn't any other reason for hiht Except for the ingredients And ht time And Gytha took most of it home for the cat, which couldn't of been proper

But he's on his way What can't speak, can't lie

'Best put the cloth over it when you've done, Eset worried so my bath'