As he removed each item from its cellophane wrapping, it exuded the sweet chemical aroma of dry-cleaning fluid—a scent that always reminded him of his years in the Nuncio’s residence in New York, when all his laundry was done at a place on East 72nd Street. For a moment he closed his eyes and heard once more the ceaseless soft horns of the distant Manhattan traffic. Every garment had been made to measure by Gammarelli, papal outfitters since 1798, in their famous shop behind the Pantheon, and he took his time in dressing, meditating on the sacred nature of each element in an effort to heighten
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