Part 3 (1/2)

'Poor thing,” said Abu Thaleb. ”I think she would have been better off in a menagerie, Doctor Volospion. Some of them feel much safer there, you know. Our world is too difficult for them to grasp. Now, if I were you...”

Doctor Volospion tightened his grip. ”Oh!”

'You are too sensitive, Miss Ming,” said Li Pao. ”You must not take us seriously.”

Doctor Volospion laughed. ”Is that so, Li Pao?”

'I meant...”

'Ah, look!” Doctor Volospion slowly raised a hand to point. ”Here's your friend, Miss Ming.”

'Friend?” Red eyes were raised. Another sniff.

'Your friend, the cook.”

It was Argonheart Po, in smock and cap of dark brown and scarlet, so corpulent as to make Miss Ming look slim. He advanced toward them with monumental dignity, pus.h.i.+ng small elephants from his path. With a brief bow he acknowledged the company and then addressed Abu Thaleb.

'I have come to apologize, epicurian commissar, for the lateness of my contribution.”

'No, no...” Abu Thaleb seemed weary of what appeared to be a welter of regrets.

'There is an integral fault in my recipe,” explained the Master Chef, ”which I am loathe to disguise by any artifice...”

The Commissar of Bengal waved a white-gloved hand. ”You are too modest, Kaiser of Kitchens. You are too much a perfectionist. I am certain that none of us would detect any discrepency...”

Argonheart Po acknowledged the compliment with a smile. ”Possibly. But I would know.” He confided to the others: ”The cry of the artist, I fear, down the ages. I hope, Abu Thaleb, that things will right themselves before long. If not, I shall bring you those confections which have been successful, but I will abandon the rest.”

'Drastic...” Abu Thaleb lowered his eyes and shook his head. ”Can we not help in some way?”

'The very reason I came. I hoped to gain an opinion. If there is someone who could find it within himself to leave the party for a short while, to return with me and sample my creations, not so much for their flavor as for their consistency. It would not require much time, nor would it require a particularly sophisticated palate, but...”

'Miss Ming!” said Doctor Volospion.

'Me,” she said.

'Here is your chance to be of service.”

'Well,” she began, ”as everyone knows, I'm no gourmet. Not that I don't enjoy my chow, and of course Argonheart's is always excellent, but I'd like to help out, if I can.” She was twice the woman.

'It is not a gourmet's opinion I seek,” Argonheart Po told her. ”You will do excellently, Miss Ming, if you can spare a little time.”

'You would be delighted, wouldn't you, Miss Ming?” said Abu Thaleb sympathetically.

'Delighted,” she confirmed. She cast a wary glance at Doctor Volospion. ”You wouldn't mind?”

'Certainly not!” He was almost effusive.

'A splendid idea,” said Li Pao, blatantly relieved.

'Well, then, I shall be your taster, Argonheart.” She linked her arm in the cook's. ”And I really am sorry for that silly fuss, everybody.”

The shook their heads. They waved their fingers.

She smiled. ”It did clear the air, anyway, didn't it? You're all friends again now.”

'Absolutely,” said Li Pao.

'Well, thats fine.”

'And you won't be wanting the little elephant?” Abu Thaleb asked. ”I can always create another.”

'I'd love one, Abu. Another time, perhaps when I have a menagerie of my own. And power rings of my own and everything. I've nowhere to keep it while I stay with Doctor Volospion.”

'Ah, well.” Abu Thaleb also seemed relieved.

'I think,” said Argonheart Po, ”that we should go as quickly as possible.”

'Of course,” she said, ”you really must take me in hand, Argonheart, and tell me exactly what you expect me to do.”

'An opinion, I a.s.sure you, is all I seek.”

They made their adieux.

'Well,” she confided to Argonheart as they left, ”I must say you turned up at just the right moment. Honestly, I've never seen such a display of temper! You're so calm, Argonheart. So unshakably dignified, you know? I did my best, of course, to calm everyone down, but they were just determed to have a row! Of course, I do blame Li Pao. Doctor Volospion had a perfectly understandable point of view, but would Li Pao listen to him? Not a bit of it. I suspect that Li Pao never listens to anyone but himself. He can be so thoughtless sometimes, don't you find that?”

The Master Chef smacked his lips.

Chapter Four.

In which Mavis Ming is once again disappointed in her Ambitions

Argonheart Po dipped his fingers into his rainbow plesiosaurus (sixty distinct flavors of gelatin) and withdrew it as the beast turned its long neck round to investigate, mildly, the source of the irritation.

The great cook put hand to mouth, sucked, and sighed.

'What a shame. Such an excellent taste. '

His creature, lumbering on ma.s.sive legs that were still somewhat wobbly, having failed to set at the same time as the rest of its bulk, moved to rejoin the herd grazing some distance away on the especially prepared trees of pastry and angelica that Argonheart Po had designed to occupy them until it was time to drive them to the party which was only a mile or two off (the gargantua were plainly visible on the horizon).

'You agree, then, Miss Ming? The legs lack coherence. ' He licked a disappointed mouth.

'Isn't there something you could add? ' she suggested. ' those flippers were really meant for the sea, you know...'

'Mm? '

'It's not your fault, not strictly speaking. The design of the creature itself is wrong. You must be able to do something, Argonheart, dear. '