that thus
disturbs you in the sight of those books? Let me shut the closet-door
and take away the key of it, and you will then sleep in peace.'

"'Sleep in peace!' resumed Ferdinand; 'Sleep in wretchedness, you
mean! I can have no peace unless you indulge me with the key of the
book-case. To whom do such gems belong?'

"'Sir, they are not stolen goods!'

"'Madam, I ask pardon. I did not mean to question their being honest
property, but'--

"'Sir, they are not mine or my husband's.'

"'Who, madam, who is the lucky owner?'

"'An elderly gentleman of the name of--sir, I am not at liberty to
mention his name, but they belong to an elderly gentleman.'

"'Will he part with them? Where does he live? Can you introduce me to
him?'

"The good woman soon answered all Ferdinand's rapid queries, but the
result was by no means satisfactory to him.

"He learnt that these uncommonly scarce and precious volumes belonged
to an ancient gentleman whose name was studiously concealed, but who
was in the habit of coming once or twice a week, during the autumn, to
smoke his pipe and lounge over his books, sometimes making extracts
from them and sometimes making observations in the margin with a
pencil. Whenever a very curious passage occurred, he would take out a
small memorandum book and put on a pair of large tortoise-shell
spectacles with powerful magnifying glasses in order to insert this
passage with particular care and neatness. He usually concluded his
evening amusements by sleeping in the very bed in which Ferdinand had
been lying.

"Such intelligence only sharpened the curiosity and increased the
restlessness of poor Ferdinand. He retired to his bibliomaniacal bed,
but not to repose. The morning sunbeams, which irradiated the bookcase
with complete effect, shone upon his pallid countenance and thoughtful
brow. He rose at five, walked in the meadows till seven, returned and
breakfasted, stole upstairs to take a farewell peep at his beloved
_Morte d'Arthur_, sighed 'three times and more,' paid his reckoning,
apologized for the night's adventure, told the landlady he would
shortly come and visit her again and try to pay his respects to the
anonymous old gentleman.

"'Meanwhile,' said he, 'I will leave no bookseller's shop in the
neighbourhood unvisited till I gain intelligence of his name and
character.'

"The landlady eyed him steadily, took a pinch of snuff with a
significant air, and returning with a smile of triumph