XLVII

I receive a brief, handwritten letter from Tony in the Bronx. He is sorry but he is pulling out of the distribution chain. Business costs, change of retailers, other factors. He has enjoyed our relationship. He will be happy to do business with us in the future should we get into another branch of publishing. He does not mention the several thousand dollars still owed and unearned from horse bets but then, as the letter makes clear, Tony is something of a functional illiterate and cannot be expected to have any kind of precision about financial matters. The unschooled in our society must be protected from their own inadequacies; this is one of the functions of a democracy.

I phone Tony but find that he is out for the week. There is something to do with a change of office locations and also a matter of shifting personnel; in any event, he will be out of contact for a long time. The operator, who sounds vaguely sympathetic, says that she will leave any message which I care to drop off with her, and I say that this is not strictly necessary, I only want to convey to Tony my thanks for his assistance and his willingness to stand by me at a difficult time. She says that she knows that he will appreciate this.