the library came through with the glass word, and i shot through it, and now i am at peace, and cured of my agitation, and will get back to studying. (a lot of revelations, including the ancient identity of the flowing queen, the connection between sphinxes and winged lions, various parentages revealed, together with recognition scenes, and loose ends from first two books neatly tied off. harsh sacrifices too, expected and unexpected ones, and difficult partings.)

heaven help me, these children's fantasies keep coming out faster than i can keep up. (so do academic articles, come to that, but if you leave the articles for a while someone else summarises them, or else go out of fashion. children's books give more comfort than literary criticism, and are far better reading besides. and, if you look the right way, will teach you quite a lot about literary theory.)

still, don't let there be any other intriguing children's books until i get through my exams, for heaven's sake.

although there is one called the falconer's knot: a story of friars, flirtation and foul play that the library is getting and who could resist a title like that?

although, although. you can sometimes see unhappiness arriving (sometimes.) and so you lie low, and hope it passes you by, and that the children's books will sustain you till it does. i think it has passed, this go-round, and i reemerge to do some real work, i really will.