Chapter 3 Summary

The next morning, Neil parks across from the library where he works. He sees the Newark Museum and the bank building that now are an extension of Rutgers University. When the library opens at nine o'clock, he wonders if Brenda is awake. A small African-American boy stands in front of one of the cement lions that guard the library steps. The boy growls at the lions. From his desk on the main floor, Neil watches teen-age girls walk up the wide flight of stairs to the main reading room. He is supposed to be put in charge of the Reference Room, which is a currently a vacant position. The African-American boy enters just before lunch and asks for the heart section. Neil does not understand his dialect or question. The boy wants to look at art books. The head librarian distrusts the boy...