So many years of mutilated hopes, of dashed ideals, disastrous whims, fantasies sped through his mind Jules did not hear the voice and was startled into dropping his packages when he realized he was being spoken to.

The young man smiled at some thought of his own and said again: "Do you think I might find a Goethe here among this collection of dusty verbiage?" Jules found it difficult to breathe, but managed to reply with what was left of his composure. "I wouldn't count on it," he said. "Goethe only collects dust in libraries."

"How right you are," the young man said. "Music to impress the neighbors by."

"But here is Shakespeare," Jules said, taking up the book, hoping the stranger would be impressed himself enough to take the book from his hand and, perhaps, brush his fingers as they passed.

"Yes. I saw that," the young man said. "But it's Romeo and Juliet and I've had enough of that for now. I think I'm ready for more profound disappointments. Are you looking for something in particular?"

"No," Jules said, dying a little.

"Then, if you're in no great hurry, that is, could I get you to help me look for The Sorrows of Werther? As you say, I won't count on finding it, but it may be worth a try. And I would be grateful. Why, I'd even buy you a cup of coffee, or your pleasure, when the search is done. Book lovers, as well as some books, are hard to find."

"Yes," Jules said. "But they should be. The reward of finally finding one exceeds by a whole world the difficulty of the search."

The bus came as Jules looked back to see the crowd of people waiting to get on. He would take a later bus. It didn't matter.

In-Class Theme

Did Socrates face them?

Methods,

times were different,

But did he have focal problems?

How to keep

his mind,

eyes off

sprawled thighs, tight-togged;

How to avoid

a lapse,

slip of the tongue-

"Is everybody sat?"

R. J. Stark

29