The admission fee was thirty eight dollars. Forty dollars was my food budget for the whole week. I thought about skipping the mansion and reading about it in a guide book. But I decided to see the estate and eat rice and beans for a week.
I didn't think about the summer heat. The mansion was built before air conditioning. The temperature inside was oppressive; the only relief came from rotating electric fans. The cheap white extension cords everywhere ruined the effect of the elegant carved wood furniture. Leather bound books covered the library walls.
I asked the attendant, "Does anybody actually read these books?"
The man said, "The original owner read and wrote in seven languages. He spent many hours in the library, annotating books in Greek and Latin. . . .Would you like a job here?"
"How much does it pay?"
"It's a volunteer position."
"No pay, no thanks."
