Every two or three months Crowley chose a plant that grew too slowly, or managed to catch the gray rot, or started to dry, or just looked not too good compared to the neighbors, and showed it to everyone else.
Say goodbye to your friend, he told them. He broke...
Then he left the apartment with the convict under his head and returned after an hour and a half with a large empty flower pot, which he left somewhere in a prominent place.
And the plants in him were the most luxurious, blooming and beautiful. And the most frightening""

C is Pratchett. Good signs