Maybe a librarian

"The man in front of me was shaking, I could see that now. His head was bent as if to ward off a blow. It was a big balding head, but not unnaturally big. I might have taken him for a civil servant, if I'd passed him in the street, or maybe a librarian. 'Peur,' he said faintly, distinctly. 'J'ai peur.' He was afraid. What was he afraid of?".

Emma Donoghue: "The sanctuary of hands". In: Touchy subjects. London: Virago 2006, S. 133