Via the window in the overgrown hotel garden, they entered the studio/workshop. Susanna set the suitcase on Ted's desk. "This is precisely what I did the last time I was here with Ted. 'A present from the Gold Country', I told him. He leaned over my shoulder, opened it." Susanna gestured to Caydance.

Inside was a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, blue and white checkered cloth napkins, a boxed soft cheese from Marin County, and a small tin of the kind of crackers often provided during tastings at California wineries. There were also plates -- not the expected plastic plates but fiestaware in shades of blue -- and heirloom silver forks and knives. Susanna removed the bottle of wine and the glasses, set them on the desk. Wordlessly, Caydance set the plates and napkins beside the wine and glasses. Susanna said: "I remember how pleased Ted was by this to-be-shared gift."

"It is perfect."

Susanna smiled. "Ted opened the case; we set out the contents. Then, I remembered that I had forgotten to pack the corkscrew.

"Today there is a corkscrew on my keyring, but this is what Ted did." From his bookshelf, she took down a weathered dictionary -- the kind made for children, that contained words in large print and pen and ink drawings in pastel colors -- handed it to Caydance.

"I noticed this dictionary, when I was first here," Caydance observed. "Time. however, was short, and reading a dusty dictionary that reminded me of a book I had as a child was not my mission."

She tried to open the dictionary, but that was not possible; the pages were glued together.