, 1885-10-31
THE FATAL ALDINE.


AAhnF NNaAiik Olut hlOlO1iO olAPItA0 aho
a long nankeen dressing gown, bent and
meagre. spectacles above his nose, snufi
under II.
sour oldest inhabitant, gentlemen, NJ.
Goujet. the celebrated bibliophilc.
All madame, you have come again.
You are so kind. Then shading his
eyes as he looked up through his specta-
cles he continued, In a thin, piping treble.
Pardon gentlemen. but | was expecting
another-a dear friend My eyes are
growing dim. | think. You will excuse
me. My story Ali you may not
believe II, perhaps, since | who tell II. am
here Not that | need to be. / assure
you. ! have some odds ways, have
always been a little droll, | think.
but am not insane. came
here because II was eNpedient for me tc
assume to be a lunatic, 10 escape the pun
ishment which my crimes-for misfor
tunes are crimes-properly merited. But
please do not mention this. whatever you
do. II Is a dead secret. ! have beer
here hard upon twenty five years; admin
istrations nave changed. but ! have not
doctors have died and their sons sue
cecded them. the buildings been rebuilt
repaired. restored. while have continued
always the same, no signs Of decay even
in my top story. which. OF course. settles
the question of lunacy adversely to the
doctors-but you needn't mention this
They mean well. aud, besides. they
have saved me much inconvenience
81 have survived my own generation.
but the people of Louis lhillippe's time
remember me-even the Citizen King
himself has done me the honor to rest his
umbrella against my stall and take a pinch
from my tabaiiere.
"Oh. | assure you, Bibliophile Jacques
uug Vyqll known in fhoga times nnI NV
little book-stall on the Quai Noltaire was
a place of high resort. Parole d'honneurl
/ have seen three members of the acad
envy touching elbows Mt my shelves.
every one with spectacles on nose, with
rose at button-hole, entertained, absorbed.
delighted. All. those gentlemen nave the
faculty Of appreciation They know II
rare book when they sec it. They have
appraised the value of literary treasures
| was always uneasy when they came 10
look at my rare books They might in.
advertently put them into their pockets or
forget to lay them down-such habits of
profound mental abstraction long in
dulged Don't mention this.
you see. l was u sort Of bibliomaniac.
and | knew how to ind rare books. The
only trouble ] had was in parting with
my literary treasures after ! got them. l
am fond of money: | may say | am
something Of a miser, but there are
excuse the indefinite phrase-there are
more possibilities in a rare book han
in money. When you have got hold Of
n perfect copy Of some editio princeps.
when probably there are not more than
six other copies of the edition extant. aud
of these four permanently locked up in
the libraries of Vienna, the British mu-
scum, the National and the Mazarin-
then you may be said TO have a corner
in your rare book, mt you arc safe to
ask what you please for 1t, and get il too.
when the right customer comes on.
But you must wait till the right one
comes, and he must have a book craze
that is accordant TO the chord your rarity
strikes. This is a trade secret-don't be
tray H.
"The duke of Saint Emilion was one Of
my best patrons. He was rich, he had
an income of SOC. 900 livres. he had his
chateau of Preignac, he had his vineyard
that produced 100 tons Of white wines
every year, he had his friends. his family,
his library. Twice a year the duke came
TO Paris for a week, and / had ALWAYS to
walk the stalls with him, help him find
the novelties, and dine with him at Cou-
lures old restaurant in the Latin quarter,
where we knew how to relieve the cellar
of three bottles of the best wine In Paris.
Once q month the duke wrote me n formal
letter, sealed with his crest, announc-
ing the additions made 10 the library of
Preignac, aud giving me commissions
Every week l sent to the duke my Bullo
tin Bibliographique, printed for private
circulation only.
In the summer of 1919, Nj. SAINT.
Emilion sent mt a formal invitation to
come spend n week with him at F%reignac.
help him arrange his library, aud view
his treasures. l went | left the railroad
at N~illefranche, where the duke met me
with his coach.and .four-a liveried driver
and two footmen-quite in the style Of
the ancien regime. | do assure you. Every
body we met touched hats TO the duke,
and TO me because l was the dukes
friend. l assure you 1t made me feel a
sentiment ola sort of-je ne sails quot.
but most agreeable. Tho duke was most
handsome Above so, erect, square.
military figure. close-cut white hair, IA
tiorid face, clean shaved except for a large
white mustRche, small blue eyes, aquiline
nose-he sat erect in the carriage as II he
were ON horseback in the van of ten bat
~talions, dressed in neat blue, and with q
stock about his throat to hold up his col
lar. We arrived at the chateau, and lie
introduced me TO the duchess and the four
infants. Heavens, such youth. grace,
lovelincssl The duchess was not over
80. ans the ~loyeliest Of her sex, the chill.
dren angels.
~How shall l describe the library. when
! have already exhausted my store of adj
iectivesY Ten thousand volumes. 100
portfolios of engravings, and not a book.
not n print, but had its history. It'd
chronicles, in yellum, editiones principles.
their original bindings carefully restored.
artist proof engravings from burins whose
touch is a conservation 1t was a treasury
And such q lovely family And a cellar
full Of such wine as appeared on the table
at dinner
Duke, you are a happy man 1 cried.
as the duchess handed me a cup Of coffee.
when | could take no more wine. Latte
though il was The duke sighed. AL
most. NJ. Gouiot said the duchess.
isughingi but one thing more IS needed
to complete the happiness Of NJ. Saint
tmilion2 And that j. A copy
Of the pzinceps edition Of Fruncoi.
Nillon. said the duchess. laughing. Il
assure YOU. Bibliophile Jacques, my
friend, said the duke. rousing out
of his abstraction, i do not need
anything moro TO put the napstuno
10 my happiness, but If | only could re-.
cover a princops Nillon-you will sec /
have all the rest. Marot, Iousard. the
chroniclers, the missalists, The romancors
tho absence of illon does beyond
doubt make a void-but, as you see. / am
happy. so long as madame The duchess
and the children-but still. | will you
1000 CROWN and all expenses paid If you
will hut recover for me the long lost
Nillou Nj dear duke | cried 4
dedicate myself to that work. You can
count on me with assurance 1t may lie
six months. il NAV he n wear. but | will
surely mad yOu u illon. The duke
gratefully dressed my hand. the duchess
pinned a rosr-ld upon my coat aud said I
Ancient Roman Marriage Custom.