Kate

I know it's old news, but the story of Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake - or at least the last chapter of that story - has gotten stuck in my head, and I can't stop it rattling around in there.

This picture, which I borrowed from The Wit of the Staircase, is one of the things that's rattling. Kate was kind of a hero to Duncan, a compatriot, maybe, or a fellow exile. And that's not so hard to understand, especially if you're one of those who can't help but admire Kate a little yourself.

But I would guess that the thing about Kate - like lots of people who live on one edge or another - is that beneath that flinty exterior is an even flintier heart. Without one, it would probably be hard to live that way for long.