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“As for your last point, about Professor Hutton’s work If you’re referring to Fire and Ice: Desire and Sin in Dante’s Inferno, then your characterization of his position is incorrect Although I don’t have a copy of the book with me, there’s a footnote in chapter ten in which he states that he believed that Francis appeared, because he thinks the words of the demon were directed at someone other than Guido, himself But Professor Hutton says he has doubts as to whether Francis appeared for Guido’s soul or for some other reason That’s all he says on the ue, but before a word could exit her ed professor dressed entirely in tweed turned around to face her He looked at her contelasses

“Can we move on? You’ve asked your question and the speaker answered it Adequately, I rouped, protesting that she should have an opportunity to ask a suppleain, the audience reacted hispered words, but Julia noticed that the expressions on their faces had changed Now they were looking at Julia with a kind of muted appreciation

“Can we ed professor turned away froaze to thehis throat

“Ah, if there’s time we’ll come back to you, miss But I believe Professor Wodehouse has the floor”

The aged man in tweed lasses and waved thedalen” He introduced himself

Julia’s face paled, for Professor Wodehouse was a Dante specialist whose standing rivaled that of Katherine Picton’s

“I’ to in Old Hut’s book You’ve summarized it correctly A different view is taken by Eestured in Gabriel’s direction “But I see you haven’t been swayed by hihter erupted from the crowd, and Gabriel winked at Julia proudly

“As you point out, it’s perplexing to see why Francis would appear at the death of a false Franciscan, but we need to posit Francis’s appearance in order to make sense of the demon’s speech So we’re left with half-and-half as the woman behind me mentioned I don’t find that problematic Half-truth, half-falsity seeuity and rhetorical sophistry is what one would expect in a person guilty of fraudulent counsel So I tend to agree with h I can’t speak for him, I surmise that Old Hut would too, if he were here”

Julia exhaled slowly in relief, her fingers loosening their iron grip on the lectern Herfor his next words, but she felt vindicated by the professor’s relanced at his handwritten notes before continuing

“You’ve provided an interpretation that’s certainly as good a theory as any, and better than those accounts that would attribute ignorance or injustice to Francis But let’s be clear It’s speculation”

“Yes, it is” Julia’s voice was low but deterestions of alternative interpretations”

Professor Wodehouse shrugged “Who knohy Francis did anything? Perhaps he was supposed to meet another soul in Assisi and was merely waylaid by an opportunistic fraud”

At this, the audience laughed

“I do, however, have a question” He replaced his glasses on his face and looked down at his notes “I’d like you to say reelossed over that part in your paper, and I think the matter merits more attention”

And with that, he sat down

Julia nodded, frantically trying to gather her thoughts

“My thesis was on the interpretation of Francis’s appearance, not Guido’s sin Nevertheless, I’an a short but fluid summary of Guido’s encounter with Pope Boniface VIII and its aftermath, which seemed to satisfy the professor However, she ht her paper lacking in that respect She’d attend to his worry in her revision of the paper for potential publication