ght angles to the first, back from the street. They turned
and walked along through these rooms, too. The floors of all the rooms
were very smooth and glossy, being formed of narrow boards, of
dark-colored wood, curiously inlaid, and highly polished. Rollo told
Jennie that he believed he could slide on such floors as well as he
could on ice, if he thought they would let him try. He knew very well,
however, that it would not be proper to try. Besides, he observed that
there were standing at different distances along the range of rooms
certain men, in uniform, who seemed to be officers stationed in the
library to guard against any thing like irregularity or disorder on the
part of the visitors.

Besides the books, there were a great many other things to interest
visitors in the rooms of the library, such as models of buildings,
statues, collections of coins, medals, and precious gems, and other
similar curiosities. These things were arranged on tables and in cases
made expressly for them, and placed in the various rooms. The tables and
cases occupy, generally, the central parts of the rooms that they were
placed in, so as not to interfere with the use of the sides of the rooms
for books. In one place was a collection of some of the oldest books
that ever were printed, showing the style of typography that prevailed
when the art of printing was first discovered. Mr. George took great
interest in looking at these. Rollo and Jennie, however, did not think
much of them; and so, while their uncle was examining these ancient
specimens, they went to the windows and looked out into the court yard.
This court formed a green and beautiful garden, shaded with trees and
adorned with fountains and walks. The visitors could see that the
buildings of the library extended in long ranges all around it.

At length, at the end of the second range of rooms, the party came to a
third range, which was parallel to the first, and which extended along
the back side of the court yard. The children could not go into these
apartments, for the entrance to them was closed by a glass partition.
They could, however, look through the partition and see what there was
within. They beheld a very long hall, which was several hundred feet in
length, apparently, and quite wide, and it was lined on both sides with
bookshelves and books. Long tables were extended up and down this hall,
with a great number of gentlemen sitting at them, all engaged in silent
study