August considered multiple short stories in the short minutes he was upstairs. He ended up settling on a Herman Melville — it was not so radical as to be guaranteed to put her off, but it may get her thinking about the globalized economy in a way that August, personally, thought was interesting. He tucked the pages under his arm and came back down the stairs, wishing that his gait was not so audible with his cane.

He handed the pages over. "Of course," he said, "I hope you — enjoy the rest of your party."