Summary

In “Tributaries,” the narrator explained that the Thames was not linear, rather it travelled in many directions. The river did not have a distinct starting place; its water was found underground and in other forms in the atmosphere. Furthermore, tributaries contributed to the flow of the river, comparable to the way other stories fed into this one. “What Do You Make of It?” introduced Robert and Bessie Armstrong at their farm in Kelmscott. Bess brought Armstrong a ripped-up letter she found in their son Robin’s jacket pocket. They tried to piece it together, but came away with the name Alice. They wondered whether Robin had a daughter unbeknownst to them. The letter included the town Bampton, and Armstrong resolved to travel there the next day.

As Bess stored the letter’s remains, she remembered when eight-year-old Robin covered his snooping...