Part 25 (1/2)
He led the way into the room on their left, and took a couple of very old folios off a chair
”A dusty place--a very dusty place; but I dare not trust servants They have no idea of the value of books, es from a very rare specimen of Wynkyn de Worde to burn under some damp fire-wood Can't trust them--can't trust them I've just had a very serious disappointment Been down to an auction”
”Indeed?” said Chester, looking at the oldlike his before
”Yes One of the big sales There was a priceless copy of one of Marie de Medici's books in the list, and I fancy it ith a Grolier binding--just his style; but two other people wanted it I bid up to four hundred and then stopped A bit of a biblioher; couldn't afford it, even for a unique, tall copy Knocked down for se-ven hun-dred and forty-nine pounds, sir A fact Well, did you find your friends who for?”
”Yes--no,” said Chester
”Dear me; but is not that rather contradictory,
”Perhaps so, but there is a little mystery about the h, can you tell hbours?”
”My next-door neighbours,his thin hands together softly; ”well, not much, I am so unsociable a body; and here in London one can be so isolated Letin the House of Co”
”Mr Clareborough is?” cried Chester, sharply
”No--no! That is on the other side Quite a large faay people who have plenty of fashi+onable callers, and carriages, and parties I fancy they go a great deal to operas and theatres The confectioner's people come sometimes, andfriend--not in entlereat bulky London Directory ”Yes, yes, yes; here we are--Highcoay fah That's it, and I think I've heard somehow--I don't quite knoas, unless one of the tradespeople told me--that they have a fine place somewhere in Kent--The Towers, I think they call it, and they are often down there, and this place is shut up I like it to be, because it is so much more quiet for a man busy with his books”
”Have you--have you noticed anything peculiar about the fa way
The old lasses, then took them off deliberately, and wiped each carefully with an old silk handkerchief, gazing at his questioner with his face wrinkled up as if he were puzzled
”Anything peculiar?” he said at last ”Well, no, I think not, unless it is that they seereat deal of money in ephe that they reat deal, and that with so rand collection of books”
”Anything more?” said Chester
”N-no, my dear sir I think, now you hbour on the other side Yes, I a how bad it must be for his health”
”Indeed?” said Chester, inquiringly, but with the intention of leading the old hbours
”Oh yes You see, I often hear hiht Twelve, one, and two o'clock, so hi about some particular book that I have not obtained I' of that book I missed at the sale to-day But I put it to you, ive, was it not?”
”Certainly,” said Chester, s, as he seized the opportunity to turn back the conversation to the other side; ”but I suppose, according to your showing, the suhbours”
”Hah! Yes, I suppose it would--yes, I suppose it would But are you a collector?”
”I? Oh no,” said Chester, snorant body”
”No, no, no, no,” said the old ets to knohat a person is more or less by his conversation, my dear sir, and I could vouch for it that you are a student”
”Well, I ery”