(urth) The Two Coins

[Lee Berman]

>Ryan- If so, could Severian have been watching himself in the play that night?
 
>Roy- Possible, but why should he? Idle curiosity? Idol curiosity? Why would he
>have dropped a coin? He couldn't have been surprised at anything that
>happened. And if he had dropped it on purpose, why leave a counterfeit coin?
 
Yeah, no way. Severian is surely the real deal. Isn't he?
 
Anyway, I have a memory from somewhere in UotNS of a coin with Severian's scarred
face on it. Maybe the assassin with the poisoned blade had it? (That's Agia in disguse of course ;-))
Is that a false memory? Well, no text here. Sorry. Have to check later.
 
Here is my question. Severian sees an androgyne's face on the coin. A few chapters later
he meets an androgyne running the House Azure. Did Wolfe expect a first time reader
to catch the connection? It becomes pretty easy on second read.
 
(perhaps I should amend my earlier, tongue-in-cheek suggestion and propose that Wolfe
has disdain for his first-time readers. After that we are okay in his book)