Rich Woman, Poor Woman
I was rude just now to a beggar. I was leaving the library on my way to lunch and there she was, standing at the bottom of the stairs, holding the hand of a child probably no more than five years of age. As I saw her move towards me, I knew what she was going to ask, as, indeed, she did, very politely: "Do you have any money to help us get some food?" My usual response would have been to shake my head sadly and lie, "No, sorry, I can't help." But this time, weakened perhaps by my own hunger or--just perhaps--by the work that I have been doing with the books of Hours, I didn't. Instead, I snapped at her: "Yes, of course, I do," and started to pull out my change purse. It took a moment because I had forgotten which pocket I had stashed it in (coat or sweater), during which she began thanking me, still very politely. At which point I snarled: "I give hundreds of dollars every year to the local soup kitchen [true, I just made my annual dona...