'There is a poor woman here who looks at me in great embarrassment, as though she wanted to ask for something but couldn't bring herself to it.  I'm fascinated by her eyes-though her hair is white.  I've gone out of my way four times to avoid meeting her.  She isn't old, but prematurely gray. Her eyelashes are still black-jet black-and give a smoldering look to her eyes. She almost always carries a basket concealed under her apron, which is probably what she is ashamed of. When she has passed me, I turn and watch her go down to the market. She takes a few eggs out of her basket, and she sells these two or three eggs to anyone willing to buy them, whereupon she goes back home with the basket under her apron, as before. She lives in a tiny house down at the dock; it's a one story house and unpainted. Once I caught a glimpse of her at the window. There were no curtains, but there were white flowers on the windowsill. She stood far back in the room staring at me as I walked by. What kind of a woman is she, God only knows, but her hands are quite small.  I could give you my alms, my white beauty, but I would rather give you my help.'

-K.Hamsun


'Oh, why has Nature, maker of so many types and of innumerable individuals of each, given to the world but one being like this?'

-W.H.Hudson

heuristic adj. revealing; leading to discovery; using trial and error to arrive at a solution; n. such argument or process.

paginate v.t. arrange and number pages of (book).

Scandaroon n. kind of homing pigeon.