Summary

The narrator describes what the guards at the museum do. In the basement, guards open crates of Tolstoy paintings that are marked “fragile” (113). In the main plazas, the guards carry boxes of handkerchiefs for the visitors who cry after spending time at the museum. The narrator compares looking into Tolstoy’s eyes to looking at “your father” (113) when he is disappointed.

Following the description of the guards’ duties, the narrator presents an anecdote about his experience at the museum. He was reading one of Tolstoy’s stories, which proceeds as follows: A Bishop sails to an island, where he teaches the natives how to pray properly. During his departure, the Bishop notices the natives chasing him, declaring that they have forgotten his teachings. The Bishop then tells the natives to revert to their old way of praying, because it does not matter to...