putting to rights as much as Dr. Orkborne, or any
other professed student.) »Go, sew your sampler, you monkey, and do not let me
find you here again, as you value your ears. - I assure you, Mr. Lovel, that the
last inroad of these pretended friends to cleanliness was almost as fatal to my
collection as Hudibras's visit to that of Sidrophel; and I have ever since
missed
 
My copperplate, with almanacks
Engraved upon't and other knacks;
My moon-dial, with Napier's bones,
And several constellation stones;
My flea, my morpeon, and punaise,
I purchased for my proper ease.
 
And so forth, as old Butler has it.«
    The young lady, after courtesying to Lovel, had taken the opportunity to
make her escape during this enumeration of losses. »You'll be poisoned here with
the volumes of dust they have raised,« continued the Antiquary; »but I assure
you the dust was very ancient, peaceful, quiet dust, about an hour ago, and
would have remained so for a hundred years, had not these gipsies disturbed it,
as they do everything else in the world.«
    It was indeed some time before Lovel could, through the thick atmosphere,
perceive in what sort of den his friend had constructed his retreat. It was a
lofty room of middling size, obscurely lighted by high narrow latticed windows.
One end was entirely occupied by book-shelves, greatly too limited in space for
the number of volumes placed upon them, which were, therefore, drawn up in ranks
of two or three files deep, while numberless others littered the floor and the
tables, amid a chaos of maps, engravings, scraps of parchment, bundles of
papers, pieces of old armour, swords, dirks, helmets, and Highland targets.
Behind Mr. Oldbuck's seat (which was an ancient leathern-covered easy-chair,
worn smooth by constant use) was a huge oaken cabinet, decorated at each corner
with Dutch cherubs, having their little duck- displayed, and great jolter-headed
visages placed between them. The top of this cabinet was covered with busts, and
Roman lamps and pateræ, intermingled with one or two bronze figures. The walls
of the apartment were partly clothed with grim old tapestry, representing the
memorable story of Sir Gawaine's wedding, in which full justice was done to the
ugliness of the Lothely Lady; although, to judge from his own looks, the gentle
knight had less reason to be disgusted with the match on account of