For someone who normally lost track of time very easily and ended up late most of the time, Pem was doing pretty good on her first day at the Ministry. She had woken up early just to make sure she could allow plenty of time to get there. And here she was, standing on level four, the place she had been told to go.

She could see only two people, and they looked like they knew each other. Pem now decided that it would have been all right to have brought her cat. At least then she would have known someone. Deciding that it was too late to turn around and go home to get Earl, Pem sat down in a chair and waited for someone who might look somewhat familiar. Or anyone else really.