文档介绍：Violists
Violists
Richard McGowan
1
Violists
PREFACE TO THE FIRST
EDITION
"Violists" began to germinate early in December last, as Christmas
approached. I originally intended that it be ready before the new year, but
alas, it came in behind schedule, and was pleted until January. It is
still winter in some places--the right season for such morsels--so rather
than let the work languish upon the shelf for another year...
Somewhere out there on , I hope there is a solitary reader
fortably in a warm study with a nice cup of tea. Perhaps the
lights are out, and the amber glow of the terminal spreads faint warmth
through the room; overstuffed bookshelves loom behind in the darkness. If
the evening air is crisp and a soft snow is falling outside the window, so
much the better--a view of icicles would be a magical touch.
-- Richard McGowan San Jose, California January 22, 1994
2
Violists
GRETCHEN IN THE LIBRARY
In winter the interior of the university library was hardly warmer than
the outside, and it was terribly drafty. The sole difference between the
interior and exterior, Gretchen often remarked to herself, was that the
latter received an occasional snow. The library at least was dry. On most
days in the unfrequented areas--the closed stacks on the second and third
floors--one could see one's breath in the middle of the afternoon. Gretchen
thought it hardly the sort of climate she would have chosen for her own
books. But the cost of heating such an enormous building--well, she
decided she could hardly imagine so extravagant a sum. On the coldest
days, she often wore two petticoats. She found the best method of staying
warm, though, was to bustle as quickly as she could. Primarily, she
worked in the stacks, extracting books for the library's patrons and
reshelving books that had returned--and keeping the shelves in good order.
Gretchen's twenty-ninth birthday had arrived--quite too quickly--the
day before, and she bustled wi