ction, his indulgence could not but have a certain
refining influence. I could not see that he cultivated any decided
specialty, but he had many rare copies which had cost fabulous prices,
the possession of which gives a reputation to any owner. "My shelves
of Americana," he said, "are nothing like Goodloe's, who has a lot of
scarce things that I am hoping to get hold of some day. But there's a
little thing" (it was a small coffee-colored tract of six leaves, upon
which the binder of the city had exercised his utmost skill) "which
Goodloe offered me five hundred dollars for the other day. I picked it
up in a New Hampshire garret." Not the least interesting part of the
collection was first editions of American authors--a person's value to
a collector is often in proportion to his obscurity--and what most
delighted him among them were certain thin volumes of poetry, which
the authors since becoming famous had gone to a good deal of time and
expense to suppress. The world seems to experience a lively pleasure in
holding a man to his early follies. There were many examples of superb
binding, especially of exquisite tooling on hog-skin covers--the
appreciation of which has lately greatly revived. The recent rage for
bindings has been a sore trouble to students and collectors in special
lines, raising the prices of books far beyond their intrinsic value. I
had a charming afternoon in Henderson's library, an enjoyment not much
lessened at the time by experiencing in it, with him, rather a sense of
luxury than of learning. It is true, one might pass an hour altogether
different in the garret of a student, and come away with quite other
impressions of the pageant of life.

At five o'clock his stylish trap was sent around from the boarding
stable, and we drove in the Park till twilight. Henderson handling
the reins, and making a part of that daily display which is too
heterogeneous to have distinction, reverted quite naturally to the
tone of worldliness and tolerant cynicism which had characterized his
conversation in the morning. If the Park and the moving assemblage had
not the air of distinction, it had that of expense, which is quite as
attractive to many. Here, as downtown, my companion seemed to know and
be known by everybody, returning the familiar salutes of brokers and
club men, receiving gracious bows from stout matrons, smiles and nods
from pretty women, and more formal recognition from stately and stiff
elderly men, w