This, however,
did not seem to disturb his good humour, or to make him unhappy,
and his answer was to call `Bill,' who was acting as porter,
and to tell him to give the gentleman the key of the `book room,'
and to bring down any of the books he might pick out, and he `would
sell 'em.' I followed `Bill,' and soon found myself in a
charming nook of a library, full of books, mostly old divinity,
but with a large number of the best miscellaneous literature of
the sixteenth century, English and foreign. A very short look over
the shelves produced some thirty Black Letter books, three or four
illuminated missals, and some book rarities of a more recent date.
`Bill' took them downstairs, and I wondered what would happen!
I was not long in doubt, for book by book, and in lots of two and three,
my selection was knocked down in rapid succession, at prices
varying from 1_s_. 6_d_. to 3_s_. 6_d_., this latter sum seeming
to be the utmost limit to the speculative turn of my competitors.
The _bonne bouche_ of the lot was, however, kept back by
the auctioneer, because, as he said, it was `a pretty book,'
and I began to respect his critical judgment, for `a pretty book'
it was, being a large paper copy of Dibdin's Bibliographical Decameron,
three volumes, in the original binding.
Pages:
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107