Two lives preserved in a biography: John Colquhoun, orthopaedic surgeon, and Joyce McGrath, Arts librarian and portrait painter. John’s life began in Scotland with the gifts of intellect and mastery. He was robust yet gentle, self-made yet lucky. Joyce’s life began in Victoria, with bad luck and frailty, but she was given the gifts of grace, perseverance and artistic talent. Twenty-five years apart, these lives intersected but fleetingly, and yet each had something valuable to offer the other.