“And I kissed away a thousand tearsMy lady of the Various SorrowsSome begged, some borrowed, some stolenSome kept safe for tomorrow.”

“Some men borrow books; some men steal books; and others beg presentation copies from the author.”

“Somebody, it seemed, gave it out that I loved ladies; and then everybody presented me their ladies (or the ladies presented themselves) to be embraced, that is to have their necks kissed...The French ladies had a thousand other ways of rendering themselves agreeable by their various attentions and civilities, and their sensible conversation. Tis a delightful people to live with.”

“I try not to borrow, first you borrow then you beg.”

“I do beg you to have some regard for my pride. A million years? I assure you I would stop asking after the first thousand.”

“I leaned over to cover him with the blanket he had been promising to give away to charity for years, and I kissed his forehead, as if by doing so I could protect him from the invisible threads that kept him away from me, from that tiny apartment, and from my memories. As if I believed that with that kiss I could deceive time and convince it to pass us by, to return some other day, some other life.”