"It's party my fault, too, my weakness. I've never been able to resist a challenge, or a situation that begs for a solution. My passion for pure mathematics," he whispered, "my relentless research, demanded that no problem must ever be left unsolved. I have always felt it was my duty to push on to the bitter end. Only then did I feel satisfied."

For the first time he realized that the challenge Mr. Swanson had handed him -- much like the dream that Annabelle inspired -- did not lend itself to neat and tidy formulas.

"This is life, not math," he told himself. "I shall have to learn to handle such matters in a different way."