“Special delivery, Ma’am,” the man said, handing Gladys Towbridge the small packet of mail gathered in a rubber band he had extracted from her mailbox. His casual smile matched his clothes, she thought, comfortable, probably durable, warm enough to cover some extremes. “I’m looking for a room and was told at the bus depot that I might find accommodations here. I left my bag in a locker in case that was not to be the case. My name is Augustus Emberly. I have come a long way today and would rather not move on right now.”
