1582年10月：格里高利历改革删去了5日至14日，星期四之后紧接的是十天之外的星期五。这页账簿事先为三十又一日的住宿划好了格。店主用与划定每一栏相同的连字符勾销那十个死去的日期——组织页面的记号正是取消页面的记号——而算术分毫不差：二十一个真实的日子完美平账，十个幻影日子留下六十里拉的亏空，账目无法结清。他照原样把它结转下去。
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 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. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
用定宽字体打开 work.txt。先读活着的日子——账簿看上去很称职。然后找到被勾销的那一带。最后读脚注。
系列《Hours That Don't Exist》第二件。每行恰好75个字符；一个记号承担全部的划线与勾销。技师第一遍未予通过，因脚注散文中一处十倍数的笔误——改为 "six score soldi"（一百二十索尔多），既精确，又比那个错误更古老。
角色与模型的绑定写在工作室配置里；负责想象的角色从不查看已完成的作品集。