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even saying hello, sat down beside the professor and watched the field.
    For minutes they exchanged neither a word nor a glance.
    Eventually Gould, continuing to watch the game, said something like: “Cross from the right, striker volleys it to the right midfielder, the ball hits the bar, which breaks in two, then caroms off the referee, ends up between the feet of the right wing, who kicks it at the net. A defender blocks it with one hand and then hurls it back up the field.”
    Prof. Taltomar took his time removing the cigarette from his lips and shaking off an imaginary ash. Then he spat some bits of tobacco on the ground and murmured softly: “Game suspended while the bar is fixed, with consequent fine against the home team for carelessness in maintaining the field. When play resumes, penalty kick for the visiting team and a red card for the defender. A one-match ban, unless he escapes with a warning.”
    They continued to stare at the playing field for a while, without comment.
    At a certain point Gould left, saying, “Thank you, Professor.”
    Prof. Taltomar murmured, without turning, “Take care, my boy.”
    This happened more or less once a week.
    Gould enjoyed it a lot.
    Children need certainties.
    One last thing that was important happened at the soccer field. Every so often, while Gould was sitting there with the professor, a ball would roll past the goal, heading towards them. Sometimes it passed right beside them and stopped a few yards farther on. Then the goalie would take a few steps in their direction and shout, “Ball!” Professor Taltomar didn’t move a muscle. Gould looked at the ball, looked at the goalkeeper, and didn’t move.
    â€œBall, please!”
    Gould, bewildered, stared straight ahead, into space, not moving.

3
    On Friday, at 7:15, Gould’s father telephoned to find out from Lucy if everything was OK. Gould said that Lucy had gone off with a traveling watch salesman she had met at Mass the Sunday before.
    â€œWatches?”
    â€œAnd other stuff, chains, crucifixes, stuff like that.”
    â€œChrist, Gould. You’d better put an ad in the newspaper. The way we did the other time.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œGet the ad in the paper right away and then use the questionnaire, OK?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œBut wasn’t that girl a mute?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œDid you tell the watch salesman that?”
    â€œShe told him.”
    â€œShe did?”
    â€œYes, on the telephone.”
    â€œPeople are unbelievable.”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œDo you still have copies of the questionnaire?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œMake some photocopies, just in case, OK?”
    â€œHello?”
    â€œGould?”
    â€œHello.”
    â€œGould can you hear me?”
    â€œNow I hear you.”
    â€œIf you’re running out of questionnaires, make some photocopies.”
    â€œHello?”
    â€œGould can you hear me?”
    â€œ. . .”
    â€œGould!”
    â€œI’m here.”
    â€œDid you hear me?”
    â€œHello?”
    â€œThis is a bad connection.”
    â€œNow I hear you.”
    â€œAre you still there?”
    â€œI’m here . . .”
    â€œHello!”
    â€œI’m here.”
    â€œBut what the hell’s happening to . . .”
    â€œBye, Dad.”
    â€œAre these damn telephones made of shit?”
    â€œBye.”
    â€œMade out of shit, these teleph”
    Click.
    Since he couldn’t come and do the interviewing himself, Gould’s father had the applicants fill out a questionnaire that he had put together and mail it to him, so that he could choose a new governess for Gould based on the responses he received. There were thirty-seven questions, but it was very rare for applicants to get to the end. Generally they stopped around the fifteenth question (15. Ketchup or mayonnaise?). Often they got up and left after reading the first (1. Can the applicant