as he waited
he had a chance to look around the library and into the books. The
rector's faithful housekeeper said he might when he repeated what
Wendell Phillips had told him of the interest that was to be found in
her master's books. Edward did not tell her of Mr. Phillips's advice,
to "borrow" a couple of books. He reserved that bit of information for
the rector of Trinity when he came in, an hour later.

"Oh! did he?" laughingly said Doctor Brooks. "That is nice advice for
a man to give a boy. I am surprised at Wendell Phillips. He needs a
little talk: a ministerial visit. And have you followed his shameless
advice?" smilingly asked the huge man as he towered above the boy.
"No? And to think of the opportunity you had, too. Well, I am glad
you had such respect for my dumb friends. For they are my friends,
each one of them," he continued, as he looked fondly at the filled
shelves. "Yes, I know them all, and love each for its own sake. Take
this little volume," and he picked up a little volume of Shakespeare.
"Why, we are the best of friends: we have travelled miles together--all
over the world, as a matter of fact. It knows me in all my moods, and
responds to each, no matter how irritable I am. Yes, it is pretty
badly marked up now, for a fact, isn't it? Black; I never thought of
that before that it doesn't make a book look any better to the eye.
But it means more to me because of all that pencilling.

"Now, some folks dislike my use of my books in this way. They love
their books so much that they think it nothing short of sacrilege to
mark up a book. But to me, that's like having a child so prettily
dressed that you can't romp and play with it. What is the good of a
book, I say, if it is too pretty for use? I like to have my books
speak to me, and then I like to talk back to them.

"Take my Bible, here," he continued, as he took up an old and much-worn
copy of the book. "I have a number of copies of the Great Book: one
copy I preach from; another I minister from; but this is my own
personal copy, and into it I talk and talk. See how I talk," and he
opened the Book and showed interleaved pages full of comments in his
handwriting. "There's where St. Paul and I had an argument one day.
Yes, it was a long argument, and I don't know now who won," he added
smilingly. "But then, no one ever wins in an argument, anyway, do you
think so?

"You see," went on the preacher, "I put into these books wh