The construction of a verbal system which is fairly regular and at the same time based on existing languages is a most difficult task, because in no other domain of the grammar do languages retain a greater number of ancient irregularities and differ more fundamentally from one another. Still an attempt will be made here to conciliate the two points of view and to bring about something which resembles the simple Chinese grammar without, however, losing its European character or the power of expressing nuances to which we are accustomed in our own languages.

In as many drawers in my house as there are demon days in a year, you may find old candles laid away for the weird of a winter storm ripping power lines, or for a record-breaking summer night with the thrum of half a million air conditioners threatening a power blackout like the one that once caught us groping in darkness, with two dead flashlights and a junkdrawer choking with nylon cord, piano wire, screws, Band Aids, AA batteries, sewing machine oil, but no candle.

Jean had thought that the prowler might be some tramp who had wandered far off the beaten path of migratory humans.

Bézier curves are applied, for example in computer graphics and animation, to produce smooth, infinitely scalable curves.