ing Average Jones met
Warren, for dinner, with a puckered brow.

"Did Livius rise to the bait?" asked the scholar.

"Did he!" chuckled Average Jones. "He's been nervous as a cat all day
and hardly has looked at the library. But what puzzles me is this." He
exhibited a telegram from New York.

"Millington says positively no book of that time and description any
great value. Enderby at Barclay auction in March and made row over some
book which he missed because it was put up out of turn in catalogue.
Barclay auctioneer thinks it was one of Percival privately bound books
1680-1703. Am anonymous book of Percival library, De Meritis Librorum
Britannorum, was sold to Colonel Graeme for $47, a good price. When do I
get in on this?

"(Signed), ROBERT BERTRAM."

"I know that treatise," said Warren. "It isn't particularly rare."

Average Jones stared at the telegram in silence. Finally he drawled:
"There are--er--books and--er--books--and--er--things in books. Wait
here for me."

Three hours later he reappeared with collar wilted, but spirits elate,
and abruptly announced:

"Warren, I'm a cobbler."

"A what?"

"A cobbler. Mend your boots, you know."

"Are you in earnest?"

"Certainly. Haven't you ever remarked that a serious-minded earnestness
always goes with cobbling? Though I'm not really a practical cobbler,
but a proprietary one. Our friend, Bertram, will dress and act the
practical part. I've wired him and he's replied, collect, accepting the
job. You and I will be in the background."

"Where?"

"NO. 27 Jasmine Street. Not a very savory locality. Why is it, Warren,
that the beauty of a city street is generally in inverse ratio to the
poetic quality of its name? There I've hired the shop and stock of Mr.
Hans Fichtel for two days, at the handsome rental of ten dollars per
day. Mr. Fichtel purposes to take a keg of beer a-fishing. I think two
days will be enough."

"For the keg?"

"For that noble Roman, Livius. He'll be reading the papers pretty keenly
now. And in to-morrow's, he'll find this advertisement."

Average Jones read from a sheet of paper which he took from his pocket:

"FOUND--Old book in foreign language, probably
Latin, marked 'Percival.' Owner may recover by
giving satisfactory description of peculiar and obscure
feature and refunding for advertisement. Fichtel,
27 Jasmine Street."

"What is the peculiar and obscure feature, Jones?" asked Warren.

"I don't