# The Tractate Middoth explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by M. R. James. ## What happens Mr. John Eldred visits a library seeking a rare book, the Talmud: Tractate Middoth, but is told it is already checked out. The librarian, Mr. Garrett, later learns from Mrs. Simpson that the book holds the key to a hidden will that disinherited her and her daughter. Garrett deciphers a clue of numbers (11334) as the press mark and races to intercept the book before Eldred can destroy the crucial page. ## Themes in this chapter ### Guardianship of Secrets The book holds the secret location of a will, and characters guard or seek this hidden knowledge. ### The Curse of Knowledge The pursuit of the book's secret leads to anxiety, deception, and a desperate race. ## Character check-ins ### Mr. John Eldred An elderly man with Piccadilly weepers who seeks the Tractate Middoth at the library. ### Mr. Garrett A young library assistant who helps Mr. Eldred and later investigates the mystery of the book. ### Mrs. Simpson A lodging-house keeper who reveals the story of the hidden will and the book's significance. ### Mr. John Eldred The nephew who inherited the estate after his uncle's death, now hunting for the book. ## Key lines > Mr. John Eldred—and, the register being consulted, a favourable answer was given. Mr. Eldred's library card was checked and he was allowed to borrow books. _Establishes Eldred's legitimate access to the library._ > I have here the title of the book I want: is there anyone at liberty who could go and find it for me? Eldred asks for assistance to retrieve a specific book because he is unfamiliar with the library. _Shows Eldred's reliance on library staff._ > I'm sorry to disappoint you, sir, but the book is out. Garrett returns empty-handed, saying the book is already checked out. _Key moment that sets the mystery in motion._ > A good will it is: properly signed and witnessed, but I don't think you'll find the witnesses in a hurry. The uncle's will is legally valid but the witnesses are difficult to locate. _Reveals the uncle's cunning in hiding the will._ > The will's in English, but you won't know that if ever you see it. That's one thing, and another is that when I'm gone you'll find an envelope in my desk directed to you, and inside it something that would help you to find it, if only you have the wits to use it. The uncle tells his niece that the will is in English and that an envelope with a clue will be left for her. _Provides the crucial clue that drives the plot._ > It was a small slip, with nothing whatever on it but five numerals, not divided or punctuated in any way: 11334. The envelope contains a slip of paper with the numbers 11334. _The numerical clue that Garrett must decipher._ > He racked his brains to think whether the press mark of the book which Mr. Eldred had been inquiring after was one in any way corresponding to the numbers on Mrs. Simpson's little bit of paper. Garrett tries to connect the numbers to the library's press mark for the book. _Garrett's realization that the numbers might be the book's shelf location._ > Seldom has any sound given greater relief than that which he now heard: that of the Garrett hears a sound that brings him immense relief. _Cliffhanger moment indicating a turning point in the chase._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/the-tractate-middoth - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters