Francis reads to me. He pointed to a Jeremy Taylor on his feet. You're Americans, aren't you? I have a brother in America. In New Jersey. I was to have gone over there.
The conversation lapsed, but he kept staring at us, smiling and bright-eyed, as though it were swift and rare.
By the way, are there any books you'd like us to lend you?
Thank you. That would be fine.
What, for instance?
Anything.
Think of one you'd like especially.
Oh, anything. I'm not particular. Only I suppose it would be hard to find any translations from the Greek?
Here I offered to bring in a Homer in the original and stammer out an improvised translation.
Oh, I should like that most of all, he cried. I know Chapman's well.