"He changed his name."

"Another book, or for real?"

"For real, Baby Budd."

"Klepfish." Cass was staring down at the table, shaking his head, unable to assimilate the enormity of the fact, repeating the name softly.

"Time to get you home, Billy boy. Come on. Upsy-daisy." And Gideon Raven, all five feet eight of him, helped the towering Cass to his feet with surprisingly tender solicitousness, which is how he delivered him to his room. Cass couldn't quite remember, but he had a vague memory of Gideon's actually helping him get his shoes off and into bed, murmuring, "Fated boy. What have you done?"

Next week, Cass was back at the less-crowded seminar table-the three undergraduates had jumped ship, as well as the philosophy graduate student and a few of the English students.

In addition to Aristotle's Poetics, Cass had brought to class the reassuring knowledge of the culminating fact on the list that he had assembled last week. Cass had been chosen, and he would not be exiled.

VI.

The Argument from Intimations of Immortality to: Seltzer@psych.Frankfurter.edu

from: GR613@gmail.com

date: Feb. 27 2008 1:15 a.m.

subject: the missing proof

Are you awake? Any new proofs tonight?

to: GR613@gmail.com

from: Seltzer@psych.Frankfurter.edu

date: Feb. 27 2008 1:20 a.m.

subject: re: the missing proof

In a manner of speaking, yes. You'll never guess who breezed into town today. Roz!

to: Seltzer@psych.Frankfurter.edu

from: GR613@gmail.com

date: Feb. 27 2008 1:23 a.m.

subject: re: re: the missing proof

Has she really been downgraded to a breeze? How is she? What's she up to?

to: GR613@gmail.com

from: Seltzer@psych.Frankfurter.edu

date: Feb. 27 2008 1:35 a.m.

subject: re: re: re: the missing proof

Pretty much the typical. She rode along with me to Frankfurter, and I dropped her off while I went to see Shimmy Baumzer (who stood me up). By the time I got back, Roz had organized a campus protest. The president's wife, Deedee Baumzer, is a sorority girl from the University of Texas, and she's long been pushing for less geek and more Greek at Frankfurter. Either Shimmy finally caved, or he's feeling sufficiently sure of himself these days. It's been a good year for Shimmy. He's got some glitter on his faculty, and the trustees and the donors have been happy. Shimmy moved to revoke the ban on the Greeks, and there was a backlash. When Roz and I got to the campus, we passed one student with a hand-lettered sign: "Say NO to Greeks." Roz jumped out of the car to investigate, and by the time I'd gotten back she'd joined the counter-campaign on the pagan side. She'd rallied a group of students who were chanting "Go Greek" and there were a few more kids on the other side, also chanting. And right in the middle was Roz holding a placard saying "Maccabees = Taliban."

to: Seltzer@psych.Frankfurter.edu

from: GR613@gmail.com

date: Feb. 27 2008 1:36 a.m.

subject: Hanukkah redux

It does my heart good to hear.

to: GR613@gmail.com

from: Seltzer@psych.Frankfurter.edu

date: Feb. 27 2008 1:41 a.m.

subject: re: Hanukkah redux

There's more. She intends to live forever. She's started something called the Immortality Foundation. Here's a link to her web site: www.immortality.org.

to: Seltzer@psych.Frankfurter.edu

from: GR613@gmail.com

date: Feb. 27 2008 1:53 a.m.

subject: immortal Roz