I look up the book itself and fill out a call slip for it. But I also want to read about papermaking at Kelmscott. The catalog is confusing. I go back to the desk to ask for help. As I explain to the woman what I am trying to find, she glances over my shoulder at someone passing behind me. “Perhaps Mr. DeTamble can help you,” she says. I turn, prepared to start explaining again, and find myself face to face with Henry.

　I am speechless. Here is Henry, calm, clothed, younger than I have ever seen him. Henry is working at the Newberry Library, standing in front of me, in the present. Here and now. I am jubilant. Henry is looking at me patiently, uncertain but polite.

　“Is there something I can help you with?” he asks.

　“Henry!” I can barely refrain from throwing my arms around him. It is obvious that he has never seen me before in his life.

　“Have we met? I’m sorry, I don’t...” Henry is glancing around us, worrying that readers, co-workers are noticing us, searching his memory and realizing that some future self of his has met this radiantly happy girl standing in front of him. The last time I saw him he was sucking my toes in the Meadow.

　I try to explain. “I’m Clare Abshire. I knew you when I was a little girl.,.” I’m at a loss because I am in love with a man who is standing before me with no memories of me at all. Everything is in the future for him. I want to laugh at the weirdness of the whole thing. I’m flooded with years of knowledge of Henry, while he’s looking at me perplexed and fearful. Henry wearing my dad’s old fishing trousers, patiently quizzing me on multiplication tables, French verbs, all the state capitals; Henry laughing at some peculiar lunch my seven-year-old self has brought to the Meadow; Henry wearing a tuxedo, undoing the studs of his shirt with shaking hands on my eighteenth birthday. Here! Now! “Come and have coffee with me, or dinner or something...” Surely he has to say yes, this Henry who loves me in the past and the future must love me now in some bat-squeak echo of other time.

jubilant ['dʒuːbɪlənt] 

adj. 扬声欢呼的

例句：

Liverpool were in a jubilant mood after their cup victory.

利物浦队夺得优胜杯后喜气洋洋

refrain [rɪ'freɪn] 

v. 抑制

例句：

I carefully refrained from looking at him.

我留意着避免朝他看。

radiantly ['reɪdiəntli]

adv. 容光焕发地

例句：

Everything is like with last time, he returns heaven radiantly. 

一切都如同上一次，他容光焕发的回到天堂。

perplexed [pɚˈplɛkst]

adj. 困惑的

例句：

They were perplexed by her response. 

她的答复令他们困惑不解。

studs [stʌdz]

n. 领扣

tuxedo [tʌkˈsido]

n. <美>无尾晚礼服

squeak [skwik]

n. 吱吱的叫声；