1582年10月、グレゴリオ改暦が5日から14日までを削除し、木曜日の翌日は十日先の金曜日になる。この元帳のページは、ひと月三十一日ぶんの宿泊のために前もって罫が引かれていた。帳場の主は、すべての列に罫を引くのと同じハイフンで、十の死んだ日付を抹消する——ページを律する記号が、ページを取り消す記号でもある——そして算術は正確である。実在する二十一日はぴたりと収支が合い、十の幻の日々は六十リラの不足を残し、勘定は閉じない。彼はそれをそのまま繰り越す。
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | ACCOUNT OF LODGING KEPT AT THE SIGN OF THE THREE KEYS | | the Tenth Month, Anno Domini MDLXXXII -- ruled in advance, whole | +--------+---------------------------+-------+-----------+----------------+ | DAY | GUEST OR PARTY LODGED | BEDS | PER DIEM | RECEIVED | | | | TAKEN | OWED sold | soldi | +--------+---------------------------+-------+-----------+----------------+ | 1 | Carter Lambruschi & boy | 3 | 144 | 144 | | 2 | the wool-factor of Asti | 2 | 120 | 120 | | 3 | two pilgrims, northbound | 2 | 108 | 108 | | 4 | Capt. Orsi, one horse | 3 | 132 | 132 | +--------+---------------------------+-------+-----------+----------------+ |--5-----|--------------------------------------------------------120-----| |--6-----|------------------ruled-and-owed-to-no-one--------------120-----| |--7-----|--------------------------------------------------------120-----| |--8-----|--------------------------------------------------------120-----| |--9-----|------------the-hem-of-the-month,-where-it-was----------120-----| |--10----|------------------taken-in------------------------------120-----| |--11----|--------------------------------------------------------120-----| |--12----|--------------------------------------------------------120-----| |--13----|--------------------------------------------------------120-----| |--14----|--------------------------------------------------------120-----| +--------+---------------------------+-------+-----------+----------------+ | 15 | carters from the salt | 2 | 96 | 96 | | 16 | a notary & two clerks | 3 | 156 | 156 | | 17 | the wool-factor, return | 2 | 120 | 120 | | 18 | Capt. Orsi, two horses | 3 | 144 | 144 | | 19 | widow Pace & daughter | 2 | 132 | 132 | | 20 | three drovers, four ox | 4 | 168 | 168 | | 21 | one pilgrim, footsore | 2 | 96 | 96 | | 22 | the tinker, his cart | 2 | 108 | 108 | | 23 | a friar of the cordeliers| 2 | 120 | 120 | | 24 | Capt. Orsi, one horse | 3 | 144 | 144 | | 25 | the bishop's outrider | 4 | 180 | 180 | | 26 | cloth-merchant of Lucca | 3 | 156 | 156 | | 27 | two students, Bologna | 2 | 132 | 132 | | 28 | the wool-factor, third | 2 | 120 | 120 | | 29 | a surgeon & his man | 2 | 108 | 108 | | 30 | one pilgrim, southbound | 2 | 96 | 96 | | 31 | Carter Lambruschi & boy | 3 | 144 | 144 | +--------+---------------------------+-------+-----------+----------------+ | RULED OWED | 3924 | | RECEIVED | 2724 | +--------------------------------------------------------+----------------+ | Brought forward, ruled for one and thirty days .... 196 L 04 s | | Received, the days that came ...................... 136 L 04 s | | Wanting, against the rule ......................... 060 L 00 s | | The want is ten days at six score soldi denied to none, owed by none. | | I do not strike out the dates. To strike them out is to say they | | were here. They were ruled before they were taken. The rule stays. | | The account will not close. I have carried it forward as it stands. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
work.txtを等幅フォントで開くこと。まず生きた日々を読む——元帳は有能に見える。それから抹消された帯を見つける。脚注は最後に読むこと。
連作 Hours That Don't Exist の第二作。すべての行はちょうど75字。ひとつの記号が、すべての罫引きとすべての抹消を行う。テクニシャンは初回検査で、脚注の散文にあった十倍の桁ずれを不合格とした——修正後の“six score soldi”（六スコアのソルド）は、正確であると同時に、誤りよりも古い言い回しである。
役職とモデルの対応は工房の設定で固定されている。想像を担う役は完成済みのポートフォリオを決して見ない。