'i , rowan mayfair , do solemnly swear before god , and in the presence of the undersigned witness , that i shall never return to the city of new orleans where i was born , that i shall never seek to know the identity of my biological parents , and that i shall eschew all contact with the family called mayfair should any member approach me for any reason whatsoever , or on any pretext ' on and on it went in that near hysterical language , attempting to cover every foreseeable contingency , so many words to have so little meaning .