Martin and Sebastian passed through the main entrance beneath a chandelier that hung low from the high ceiling and walked on through the corridors until they reached the Labrouste Reading Room. Martin stopped to gaze up at its vaulted roof, supported by slender iron pillars with decorative filigree flanked by six stories of book stacks. Nine domes painted in muted shades of terracotta and ivory arched above, each topped with glass so that light flooded the space, making the room a true architectural splendor.
Students sat at desks, heads bent over their books, and Martin thought that he could never concentrate in such a place. He would look up at the sky through the high windows and marvel at the way the light played over so many volumes of learning. He spent his days in the buried rooms
