The centerpiece of the West Wing's brief hallway was a complex statue of two figures intertwined, one vaguely male and the other vaguely female, locked so closely in a facsimile of passion that the eye could separate them only with great difficulty. Madame Vereaux attended to this sculpture closely, tracing its contours with a finger when no one else seemed to be paying attention.

From the ceiling near the absent inner wall dangled a line of strangled effigies - gruesome figures, most of them men. Sir Thomas began reading a collection of plaques that was arranged nearby with a disgusted expression, attempting to discern what manner of historical atrocity this might be intended to represent.

Beyond the hanging figures the atrium was visible below. Farther along, the outer wall folded inward to a wide niche in which rested a display of ancient armaments, complete with a largely-intact war chariot. Mr. Flowers was drawn to these immediately, marveling over how well they were preserved, and thence to an imposing statue of Zeus that nearly barricaded the narrow corridor leading to The North Wing.