. Some were reading; some were writing; some were looking at books
of maps or engravings. There were desks at various places up and down
the room, with officers belonging to the library sitting at them, and
several messengers, dressed in uniform, going to and fro bringing books.
Mr. George explained to the children that there was another entrance to
this room, leading from the court yard by a separate staircase, and that
any person who wished to read or study might go in there and sit at
those tables, only he must be still, and not disturb the studies of the
rest. If he wished for any book, he could not go and get it from the
shelves, but must write the title of it in full on a slip of paper, and
carry it to one of the desks. The officer would take the slip and give
it to one of the messengers, who would then go and get the book.

After looking through the glass partition at this great company of
readers and students until their curiosity was satisfied, the children
turned away, and Mr. George conducted them back through the long ranges
of rooms by the same way that they came. When, at length, they got back
to the staircase where they had come up, Mr. George, instead of going
out where he had come in, descended by another way, through new
corridors and passages, until he came to a room where a considerable
number of people were sitting at tables, looking at books of engravings.
The sides of this room, and of several others opening into it, were
filled with bound volumes of prints and engravings, some plain and some
colored, but very beautiful. Many of the volumes were very large; but
however large they might be, it was very easy to turn over the leaves
and see the pictures, for the tables, or rather, desks, in the middle of
the room, were so contrived that a book, placed upon them, was held at
precisely the right slope to be seen to advantage by persons sitting
before it. Mr. George told the children, in a whisper, that any one
might ask for any book there was there, and the attendants would place
it on one of the tables for him, where he might sit and look at the
prints in it as long as he pleased.

"Some day," continued Mr. George, "we will come here and look over some
of these books; but to-day we must go to the Garden of Plants."

Mr. George then led the children back to the carriage, and ordered the
coachman to drive to his hotel.

The hotel was situated on the site of an open square, which, though by
no means s