On Monday, a blue, dazzling, chilly early autumn morning, Mary complained bitterly of the cold. She said she couln't work under such circumstances. She told Neil she'd be going home for lunch when Audrey came in, and she wouldn't be coming back. Neil looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Mary, I believe it."

Reggie Barrow dropped in. "You got a minute?"

Neil took him over to the 1912 Olympics display case at the end of one of two long reading tables. Barrow Junior said, "I got a problem. It's probably a misunderstanding. Don't get me wrong. I know you'll take this well. You know these displays of local bookbinders you're having?" he began.

"Yes."

"Well, did you work it out with the Artifacts Committee? Carla Spagnoli says you didn't, and that you just went and put an article in the paper about all these upcoming displays, and she says she don't know nothing about it."

Reggie said he didn't know what to do, but he would try to figure something out, and he'd be getting back to Neil on it.

Neil wished him luck, then got back to reality again.

Neil called Captain Cunningham and asked that the Artifacts Committee meet in order to discuss these and other matters. The Captain said Neil had taken the display cases out of the hands of the Artifacts Committe, had not asked their permission to use them, and that he had showed he was not willing to work with them. Neil suggested to the Captain that he and Carla should actually hold Artifacts Committee meetings ocassionally, that they should communicate with him, the library director, and with each other, and that the library should have thematic, informational, interesting, enlightening displays.

The Captain suggested local factories ought to show off their wares in the display cases. Neil told him this was fine -- if they could just see to it that these would be interesting displays.

Neil left Camperdene just before 11:00 and arrived at Springfield's Sheraton hotel shortly after noon -- just as notoriously eloquent Wordsward College Library School Dean Preston -- bald, dome-waxed, and wearing a silvery satin three-piece suit -- was finishing his Keynote Speech at the New England Library Association Fall Conference. He'd been illuminating the intricacies of conflict interpretation, grievances, and other problems that result from collective bargaining contracts. At half past noon he finished, asking, "any questions?" (A hand went up. The woman began: "I met you last year at a conference and asked you a question and you gave me a beautiful response which changed my life." Dean Preston interrupted quickly, "Just don't tell my wife," and left the room.)

Afterwards, Neil joined Dean Preston in the hotel bar for beers, then went down under the Sheraton to the parking lot to get his car, so he could drive Preston over to his parking spot. At the car, Neil couldn't find his parking stub. "No matter," he said.

"It matters," Preston volunteered. "They'll charge you for the whole fucking day, and that's no small change at the Sheraton." Preston suggested Neil may have left the stub at the registration desk upstairs. But he hadn't. And it wasn't at at the Hotel's front desk, either. It was in his front shirt pocket. Embarassed, he went back to Preston, standing patiently by Neil's car. The two then went to where Preston had parked his forest green Jaguar. Now at its wheel, having rolled down the side window, Preston called out to Neil, "Keep your dick up -- and your courage!"

Back in Camperdene, Neil set to work with renewed energy, promoting the "Art of the Book" artisans -- bookbinders, printers, calligraphers. The initial guest exhibitor was Camperdene bookbinder and Camperdene Museum Friends president Nicholas Wentworth, who gave an introductory presentation. In the middle of that presentation, Neil got a call from Veronica Pillsbury, recently separated from her husband, Rolf who, up to his ears with troubles, had moved out. Veronica's Tequila drinking sister Ginny had moved in. Veronica's brother, an apparently good-natured ski bum, Bernard, had moved in, too.

Bernard and Ginny had taken Veronica's new car and gone shopping at a mall. Veronica was now calling to say that Bernard and Ginny had called to say Ginny had lost the car keys. Veronica would have to go and get them. Could she borrow Neil's car? After Nick Wentworth finished his lecture and everybody emptied out of the library, Neil closed it up and went out in search of Bernard and Ginny. They'd be at the so-and-so mall, at the McDonald's there. They were very grateful when Neil got there. It would be weeks before he'd hear about what became of the car: new keys were obtained, the car ultimately broke down and, still under warranty, was returned to the dealer.

It was at this time that problems with the computers flared up. Audrey flatly refused to have anything to do with the Internet. Mary Tuchlein warmed up to it, however. Audrey was furious, what with Mary networking away. Mary had always insisted that she'd never have anything to do with computers and now, there she was, typing away. Audrey was livid. By 5:00, Neil could see that Audrey was turning purple at the circulation desk. Upon leaving for dinner, she blurted at Neil, "I've never been so furious in all my life."

"Because of the computer?"

"Not the computer," Audrey said. "She -- at the computer. She was against it, too. I'm honest. I tell you what I think! Some people aren't so honest."

Audrey stormed out. Neil called after her, "I think we should assume we're all honest people here."

"Not everyone!" Audrey called back at him and, tears flowing, she was out.

Wallace Barrow came in with a dull, military-display-propagating pal. This time they had Polish woodwork -- a box , an eagle, an old man carved from a gnarled branch, etc.-- contributed to the library by Mr. and Mrs. H. Kamininski. As they installed their exhibit, Neil said courteously, "If you need any props or signs or anything, just let me know. Nice pieces. What a lot of work. Well, they're going to look good in there," he lied. "Great display."

News from Minna, swelling as her pregnancy neared the final month. Minna was making arrangements to return to Massachusetts. She was in touch with a midwife in New Hampshire, Jean, who would deliver their daughter.

Amid all the regular flurry of projects, basic workload, taking care of the daily details and all of that in those swiftly passing late autumn days, Neil took a day off to go to Boston to pick up Minna and Mark at Logan Airport. This went well. Neil cried when he saw them.

Then it was Halloween. Neil took Mark out Trick-or-Treating in warm, eerie, rainy weather. Mark (Superman) was dragging his paper bag as he went along. He was just going up the steps to the tenth or twelth house when Neil noticed his sagging bag bottom had broke open. He looked, and began to cry. As it happened, the bag had just broke. In the headlights of a passing car, they could see the straight line of Mark's candy stretching across a lawn and the street to where they stood. Neil quickly assured Mark that all was well, and went and stuffed his coatpockets with the candy. A neighbor saw their plight and volunteered a new plastic bag and they continued Trick-or-Treating.

Thanksgiving came and went. Still no baby. Then, at the end of the month, in their home, a midwife, Jean, amid great confusion, strife, and bounty, delivered their precious daughter, Jillian Kristin Wright. A time of joy and love and fun and much abundance followed. The only scarcity or lack was sleep.