Now, only urgent matters receive attention. Things get put off until the spring. This brings a slump to the luxury trade. Everyone reconsiders his needs, and artisans find their orders canceled. With each day, the mornings are frostier and the nights are windier.
People stay indoors, hibernating under warm quilts.
And by the time the fires are lit for the God of the Forge, a new theatrical season is upon us. On opening night, when theaters introduce their new companies, even stale faces look like new stars. Some theatergoers will do anything to appear cosmopolitan. Reserving box seats through the teahouse . And when the show is over and the wine from their flasks has gone to their heads, the last thing they do is start home.