Dear Marion,

Thank you for your letter. You ask about my interest in
Weber and Toennies. As a plumber, albeit unlicensed,
their thoughts, which are ineffective in unraveling the
complexities of the plumbing code, are of no concern to me.
It's not I, but rather the characters in my novel who are
perplexed about their relationship to society, who are
dismayed by what they perceive as inconsistencies and
contradictions of legal procedure.  They will be critical
of me, and with good reason, if I fail to provide them with
the authoritative answers to their questions that German
academic philosophy proffers.

At present I'm engaged in repairs in this large house whose
defects I've neglected for too many years. I started making
improvements in the large basement kitchen, which is not
presently in use, but which I would like to have available
when it's needed. On Tuesday I will drive to Brookline to
pick up two 8 foot sections of hydronic baseboard. These
I will install in the bedroom in the old part of the house,
wheres during last year's cold spell, the heating pipes
imbedded in the outside walls froze and burst. That repair
should keep me busy for a week or two. I still haven't
devised a technique for moving the very heavy radiator
down the stairs and out of the house. When I have finished,
the bedroom repair, I'll start putting the basement, - and 
for that matter, the rest of the house into better order, 
a project for which there is no end in sight.

The future work on Nantucket is, at this juncture, uncertain.
I'm waiting for Mr. Gordon's response, and especially for 
the result of the inspection which he agreed to arrange.
There's no alternative for me but "to proceed as way opens."
 
Jochen