Chapter 2, Part 1
Throughout life, one often finds oneself giving a person or situation what is often referred to as the "benefit of the doubt", which means tricking yourself into believing that a person has good intentions or that the situation will turn out pleasant in the end. Once you have been season by life's horrible spice and marinated in its grotesque (a word which here means cruel) juice as I have, you will understand that giving anything the benefit of the doubt is never a good idea. But as the Baudelaire children, being as young and unseasoned as they were, arrived at the home of their new guardian, they were hopeful and maybe even a little happy at the prospect of finally being safe and at home.
The children all looked out the rain-speckled car windows at the building that was their destination as Mr. Poe parked the car in a small parking lot next to it. It was a fairly (which here means not really) large building built of brick and pop-corn-like stucco with a small grassy area surrounding it and a few small trees supported by sticks evenly scattered upon it. Weathered gold lettering high on one wall read "Mirriam Dissoto Public Library".
Mr. Poe took the keys out of the ignition.
"This is it, children." he said, twisting his stout head around to see them.
The children didn't respond. Mr. Poe turned his head back around and waited a few moments in silence.
"This is where we get out." He said.
"Ming wee?" Questioned Sunny, which meant something like "Are you sure this is the right place? Because I don't think you mean to tell us we're going to be living in a public library."
"Are you sure this is the right place, Mr. Poe?" asked Violet.
"Yes, this is the place I was instructed to take you. Your guardian works here as a librarian and it would appear that she lives here also." Said Mr. Poe.
"How can someone live in a library?" said Klaus, who in all his life of reading had never heard of such a thing.
Mr. Poe thought.
"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" said Mr. Poe as he got out of the car, opened a large, black umbrella and expectantly (which here means impatiently) opened the door for Violet. Violet and Sunny and then Klaus came out of the car and huddled underneath the umbrella, and the four waddled all squished together to the front door of the building.