The rain started suddenly.
Hope was dragged beneath the library's eaves by a drunk named August Derleth to wait out the rain.
They leaned against the wooden door. August raised his bottle again, took a drink, then held it out to Hope.
"Rain's coming down hard. Warm yourself up!"
Hope looked at the bottle, suspecting rainwater had gotten inside. He shook his head. "No, thanks."
"What a shame. This is good stuff," August said. He gulped down the rest, then looked around with the empty bottle in his hand.
Hope guessed he was looking for a trash can, but it was raining outside and the library doors were closed. They were trapped in the small space beneath the eaves, with no trash can in sight.
August burped. The drunk, despite having a university degree, had enough sense left not to litter. He tugged open his clothes, intending to put the bottle in an inner pocket.
But that pocket seemed to be full of something else. August failed to get the bottle in on the first try and pulled it back out to find another place for it. As he did, the things inside came out with it.
They were a stack of papers rolled into a tube. They fell apart before they hit the ground, scattering everywhere.
August covered his head in frustration. Worried the wind might carry the papers into the rain, Hope crouched to help him gather them up.
This doesn't look like New Federation language... Hope thought as he picked them up. He turned one sheet the right way around. Compared with New Federation script, the writing had many more long, wavy lines.
But Hope could still read it. Number One Hope was a learned man. "Sweet foods are often associated with health effects. For instance, excessive consumption may increase the risk of tooth decay..."
"You can read Hex Language?" August suddenly asked. He stopped what he was doing and looked at Hope.
So that's what it's called—Hex Language...
Hope nodded. "Yes."
He handed the paper back to August, only to find him scrutinizing him.
The drunk looked just like someone inspecting a laborer at a slave market, paying particular attention to Hope's waist, chest, hands, and arms.
Hope suspected he was about to pry open his mouth and check his teeth.
"You..." August hesitated. "Are you... a homeless person?"
Shouldn't you be the homeless one...? Hope retorted silently, but he soon understood why August had asked.
His hair was a mess and hadn't been washed in who knew how long. His clothes and trousers were worn in many places, and a close sniff revealed a sour smell. His leather shoes were dull, one heel was missing a chunk, and his nails were long and uneven.
"Yes." Hope nodded. There was no point arguing with a drunk about it, especially when the drunk didn't look much better than he did. "So?"
"Would you... like a job that pays?" August asked.
Hope had never seen money before... He felt that Mr. August was a good way to learn more about Miskatonic University.
Their conversation woke the library's Gatekeeper, but he recognized the drunk August. He lent them an umbrella so they wouldn't have to leave in the rain or spend the night there.
August's place was surprisingly close by... but it was empty inside, as if no one lived there. If August hadn't actually had a key, Hope would have thought he'd just picked an abandoned house.
"It's a student dorm... Even though I'm no longer a student, I did live here before," August said. "The freshmen haven't arrived yet, so nobody's staying here. Sometimes, if I leave the library too late, I come here to spend the night."
Hope thought of August's bottle... He wasn't sure he believed August's story about leaving the library... But the freshmen hadn't arrived yet? It seemed Miskatonic University's academic calendar was different from North Oak University's.
"Why do you have a dorm key?" Hope asked. "Didn't they take it back when you graduated?"
"Of course they take them back. The dorm supervisor keeps a close eye on things," August replied. "But I had a spare made off campus ahead of time... Don't look at me like that. Everyone does it. It's a precaution in case of emergencies."
So he'd snuck in... Hope remembered following August inside without a care, even telling him the place was beautiful. August had looked nervous and told Hope to keep his voice down, because if they woke the supervisor, they'd be thrown out.
August set the papers in front of Hope, then struck a match with practiced ease and lit the kerosene lamp in the dorm.
He looked at the signs of albinism on Hope. "Can you see well enough now?"
"It's fine," Hope said. He lowered his head and leaned closer to the paper.
The writing didn't look handwritten. Several letters were exactly alike; perhaps they'd come from a typewriter.
He converted the Hex Script in his mind into New Federation language, then read it aloud:
"Desserts can generally be divided into the following categories: candies and sweets; cakes and tarts; leavened and fried pastries; custards and puddings; meringues and crêpes..."
Hope had translated less than half when August placed a hand on the paper, indicating that was enough. He turned it toward himself and studied it for a while, then said:
"I have a bit of business with a bookseller. He runs a very small publishing house, mainly publishing books translated from other countries... This one's The Cakes, Candies, and Desserts of the Hex Kingdom... Are you interested? I've already translated half of it myself, and there are about twenty pages left. I'll pay you ten cents per page. That's just the trial rate. If your translation is good, I can pay more."
Hope didn't know how much ten cents was worth. It didn't sound like much. But he didn't care much about money for now. If he really needed some, he could borrow it from Paul.
He asked August, "Can you find me a room?"
"A room?"
"Yes. A single room, close to the university, where people usually won't bother me... Is that too much to ask? I could even pay you something..."
August shook his head. He picked up the kerosene lamp and shone it around the dorm. "How about this place?"
Hope froze.
August spoke like a worldly old hand imparting advice to a rookie.
"It's only June. Miskatonic University's standard start date is August thirtieth. The freshmen might arrive a week early, but the place will be empty until then. I can give you the key, but be careful of the supervisor. Don't let him catch you."
Hope stood up, staring in amazement at the red-brick fireplace. "It looks wonderful."
"I think so too. This used to be a four-person room, but even so, you won't find a place this cheap anywhere in the world."
Before you continue