A reader attempting to pay a late fee at the Ventorn reading room placed forty-seven brass washers on the counter. The librarian stared at them. The reader explained that the fee was forty-seven. The librarian explained that the fee was forty-seven coins. The reader argued that both coins and washers are round, metal and easily lost in pockets.
The librarian agreed with two of these points. The reader’s defence became increasingly elaborate, including the argument that washers are more useful than coins because coins cannot repair shelves. The librarian agreed with the engineering principle while remaining entirely unmoved on the financial one. The washers were not accepted as payment.
However, the library did accept them temporarily after discovering that one loose shelf required exactly two. The remaining forty-five have been returned. The late fee remains unpaid. The reader has asked whether bolts are worth more. The librarian has asked him to return the book first.
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