27
WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE . ..
the librarian-in-charge. At the sight of the box and its revealed contents, that portly gentleman became quite as incensed as the old lady, and the very first thing he did was to return every scrap of paper to the container in question and lock it securely. Containing his obvious anger, he took the old woman off to one side, carefully keeping the box tucked tightly under one arm. Puzzled, I strained to -hear their conversation, but I could make out only a few disjointed phrases, for they were careful to speak very softly. The man said, “. . . who is he? . . . not permitted . . . should have been locked… delicate situation.”
And the woman, “. . . didn’t see! . . , no reason to suspect . . . ask him . . . safe . . .”
At this point they halted and the man returned to stare down at me intently. “Did you copy any of the material in this box, son?” I replied that I had not, at which words he seemed unaccountably relieved. When I ventured to inquire as to why I could not copy them, he replied that the manuscripts were as yet unpublished, and therefore not covered by copyright. He smiled for the first time since I had laid eyes on him and said, “No harm done, then!” and shook my hand. Continuing to play .out the role, I replied that the material did not seem to offer me such aid anyway, so I was perfectly willing to forget the entire incident.
By a fortuitous coincidence, I had stopped earlier at the post office, having need to refresh my stock of envelopes and stamps. Now it so happens I have a friend who is also desirous of obtaining a position on our departmental expedition, and so I had placed my first copies in an envelope and sent them off to him by way of the library mail chute. As things turned out, it was unnecessary for me to write him and request the return of these copies, as the original envelope was returned to my apartment the next day, unopened, stamped “insufficient postage.” Despite all my efforts to relocate that mysterious green box, I could find not a trace of it in its former cubbyhole, and deemed it injudicious to make inquiries. f