“A Professor Stern came. From Tallahassee. She wanted to know—to know—to find out about Ellen Ash’s sexual relations—with him—or anyone. I told her there was nothing of that kind in this journal. She said there must be—in the metaphors—in the omissions. We were not taught to do scholarship by studying primarily what was omitted, Dr Bailey. No doubt you find me naive.” “No. I occasionally find Leonora Stern naive. No, that’s the wrong word. Single-minded and zealous. And she may have been right. Maybe what you find baffling is a systematic omission—”
