New-York tribune., 1910-09-04

troVersy, but how could he submit to
what he thought an unjust exaction?
Don't you see. I had to choose? 1t
lao 10 be one or the other. ] preferred
/ TO lose the money and endure the in
/ Justice
Finally I said that while 1 would not
pretend to give a legal opinion, 1 felt
! convinced an action could still be
: brought, on grounds I indicated, for the
! recovery OF the money. But Lord Spen-
Ger shook his head:
You are only proposing TO me law
suit, and that ! ana no more willing to
bring now than before"
We talked little of other things, and
! before I said goedby 1 asked what he
meant to do about the empty bookcases
at AithoFp. An expression ] can only
call pathetic came into his face:
Il believe Lady Spencer is already
buying more books. Viii you help herr
/ / did look over these new purchases
from time TO time They seemed to ill
/ vacant spaces, but had no other interest.
Some time after that heard Of a Sc
/ Quel to the story: Also from Lord
/ Spencer himself, and also after it was
all over. The sum involved was very
! much less. but the impudence of the
J claim was even more fagrant, and this
time | think Lord Spencer had been for
a moment disposed TO fight il. But he
! did not. 1t could not have been done
without bringing up the whole matter,
and bringing on the scandal he was re-
/ solved TO prevent. Not once did he use
q hard word about anybody concerned.
/ Il was not his way He lived in the
upper air
had seen Lord Spencer III many cir
/ Cumstances; perhaps never before when
! the fine nature Of the man shone out
! more clearly. He was describing what
to most business men would have seemed
z most unbusiuessIike proceeding He
himself was quite aware that il would
not stand the tests which men Of the
world commonly apply TO such transac-
tons But he told his story with a sim
pie dignity which was enchanting. He
/ had 10 apology to offer. He said as
Luther said Il could not otherwise
/ Wise or foolish was not to him the point.
/ He had 10 do it because he was Lord
/ Spencer On the strong, benignant face
there was no expression of regret or
/ consciousness Of fault. There was no
/ animosity against those who had wrOnged
( him He was Of those who thought It
I nobler to suffer an injury than 10 resent
! il He made no professions, quoted no
text. had no air Of righteousness. He
was j man Of the world, and OF the great
world, who had chosen 10 do what the
world. had il known, would have thought
a foolish thing. He was content that 1t
! should be so.
] I had seen the great library at Althorp
more than once, intact l am not going
( 10 describe it. for there is no room, and
/ descfptfons Of il are not wanting. But I
saw il III such a way that l have always
/ felt as if I knew the collection better
! than I did. The hours spent there were
/ hours OF freedom. On the morning after
f.. arrived al Althorp Lord Spencer said
at breakfast:
/ You shall have the keys and the place
/ 10 Yourself. But YOU viii have to find
what you want I an sorry TO say nei-
! ther Lad. Spencer nor can be Of any
/ help. We know nothing about the treas
ures which have ma de the library IA
nous"
/ The treasures were all IN the one
! square corner room At the end Of the
I south corridor There were other books
/ everywhere. All the passages and halls
were lined with books but they were for
! the most Part books which no gentle
/ mans library should be without. There
/ are hundreds and thousands Of such col
/ Iections all over England. standard
/ works. parliamentary papers histories,
! cyclopedias long since out Of date
! masses of volumes bought from q sense
of duty and never looked into. Thou
sands OF excellent books, none of dis
( tinction.
The hooks OF distinction were N the
! square room The Taldarfer BoccaCcio
was there the buying OF which Ct the
Rcxburghe sale for q price then without
. prece edent Emerson himself has sung in
! prose. The Cextons, the old Bibles, the
+ Shskespeares, the rarities Of many kinds
which entitled the Lord Spencer of the
time TO think his the finest private Ii
brsry in the world as it probably was,
are all in this one room, in locked glass
/ cases reaching TO near the ceiling In
nne condition. as q rule, though the Boo
caccio in its smart modern binding was
disappointment. 1t Is SO great library
that not even the greasy rhodomontade
Of Dibdin six-volume catalogue could
degrade il. Toward lunch time Lord and
4 Lady Spencer came in. asked lcw ] had
/ been getting on and looked at some Of
the books I had taken cut and was going
( over Lord Spencer took one into his
hand looked al il. opened II, shook his
! head and laid il dovn almost sadly
saving:
( i care Tor the library because it was
my ancestors and is q part Of AIthorp
and { family possession. But / never
could have learned to Value books as
books. even precious books like these
+ There was q certain pathos in the
! words as there was in his manner- But
ne spoke the exact truth, because il was
( the truth, and he never Ia his life spoke
anything else IN the Afternoon we
! walked across the fields TO Brington
Church the burial place u Lawrence
Washington and other 3Fashingtons
vnose Inscriptions and arms are 10 be
! seen IN the brasses and pavement stones
Of the little church. Your couutryTteu
.,-- .,,,f,.., s.;g ..--.g