The most overdue book in the history of library services was a copy of a book called Febrile Diseases, borrowed from the University of Cincinnati Medical Library by a Mr. M. Dodd and returned one hundred and forty years later by one of his descendants. But while on the subject of being late, I heard about a young man who was always late for work, and one day fell foul of the manager, who said: ‘Don’t you know what time we start working around here?’ The young idiot answered: ‘Not really, they’re always working when I get here.’ His mates thought it was rather funny, but the manager didn’t and fired him. It reminds me of that theme that runs all through the Bible about being ready for the time when God calls us to account. ‘Be ready,’ Jesus said, ‘Because you don’t know when the Lord is going to come for you.’