She could only agree, nodding brightly as she leaned against the wall by the library door. "Very lucky," she said fervently. "There are all sorts of reunions in The City, I imagine. People come and go, and we make new friends and... sometimes we have to say goodbye to old ones. That part is hard - it's always hard. But I try not to dwell too much on everything we lose. We gain so much as well. And it isn't The City's fault, not really. It needs us. I'm... I'm not really sure why it has to send people back, but it isn't because it wants to.
"Eventually, I think I'll go home, too. I'll see my sisters and my father again. I wonder, will I remember The City? Will I be as old as I am now, or will I be returned to 17 again? I should ask. I've never asked before. How strange."
She walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out the Tennyson. "You're always free to come again," she said, pressing the book into his hands. "But believe me, there's no better home for this book than with you. I work at a bookstore, you know. I'll find a new one to put in its place."