\"Thereisnolackofthem，Iassureyou，\"——Ireplied。
\"Really！Adela，Mr。HowardtellsmetheyhavealbumsinAmerica！\"
repeatedtheyoungladytoacharmingsister，nearher；whileonmyleftIhadthesatisfactionofhearingsomegratifyingremarksfromMr。T—————，astothestateofcivilizationinmynativecountry，asshownbysuchafact。
\"Andwhatareyouralbumslike？\"againinquiredmylovelyneighbor。
\"NotlikeLadyHolberton’s，perhaps——butprettywellforayoungnation。\"
\"Ohdear——notlikeLadyHolberton’sofcourse——hersisquiteunique——
sofullofniceoddthings。ButareyouralbumsinAmericaatalllikeours？\"
\"Whyyes！wegetmostofthemfromParisandLondon。\"
\"Ohdear！howstrange——butdon’tyoulongtoseethisnewtreasureofLadyHolberton’s——thatdearniceletterofOtway’s，writtenwhilehewasstarving？\"inquiredthecharmingEmily，helpingherselftoabitofpatedePerigord。
{patedePerigord=anexpensiveFrenchdelicacy：gooseliverpatewithtruffles。}
\"Yes，Iamexceedinglycurioustoseeit。\"
\"Youdon’tbelieveitwaswrittenbythatcoarse，vulgarButler，doyou？\"
\"No，indeed，——itisthepatheticOtway’s，beyondadoubt！\"
Myneighbor，theButlerite，gaveacontemptuousshrug，butIpaidhimnoattention，preferringtocoincidewiththesofteyesonmyright，ratherthandisputewiththelearnedspectaclestotheleft。
Afterdinnerwhenwehaddonefulljusticetothebilloffare，concludingwithpines，grapes，andNewtownpippins，wewereallgratifiedwithasightofthepoorpoet’sletter，bywayofbonnebouche。AlittlevolumewrittenbyLadyHolberton——printedbutnotpublished——relatingitspasthistoryfromthedateofitsdiscoveryinthelibraryofLordG—————，hergrandfather，tothepresentday，passedfromhandtohand，andthisreviewofitsvariousadventuresofcourseonlyaddedforcetothecongratulationsofferedupontheacquisitionofthiscelebratedautograph。
{pine=pineapple。Newtownpippin=agreen，tart，tangyAmericanapple，originallyfromLongIsland，afavoriteofGeorgeWashingtonandThomasJefferson；bonnebouche=atastymorsel（French）}
Whilethecompanyweresucceedingeachotherinofferingtheirhomagetothegreatalbum，myattentionwascalledoffbyatapontheshoulderfromafriend，whoinformedmethatMissRowley，averyclever，handsomewomanofacertainage，hadexpressedawishtomakemyacquaintance。Iwasonlytoohappytobepresented。
Afteraverygraciousreception，andaninvitationtoapartyforthefollowingevening，MissRowleyobserved：
\"YouhaveAutographs，inAmerica，Iunderstand，Mr。Howard。\"
\"Bothautographsandcollectors，\"Ireplied。
\"Really！Perhapsyouareacollectoryourself？\"continuedthelady，withanindescribableexpression，halfinterest，halfdisappointment。
\"No——merelyahumbleadmirerofthelaborsofothers。\"
\"Then，\"addedthelady，moreblandly，\"perhapsyouwillbegood—
naturedenoughtoassistme。\"
And，afterasuspiciousglancetowardthespotwhereLadyHolbertonandMr。T—————wereconversingtogether，sheadroitlyplacedherselfinapositiontogivetoourconversationtheprivacyofadiplomatictete—a—tete。
\"CouldyoupossiblyprocuremesomeAmericanautographsformycollection？IfindafewwantingundertheAmericanhead——perhapsahundredortwo。\"
Iprofessedmyselfreadytodoanythinginmypowerinsogoodacause。
\"Hereismylist；Igenerallycarryitaboutme。Youwillseethosethatarewanting，andverypossiblymaysuggestothers。\"
Andastheladyspokeshedrewfromherpocketarollofpaperaslong，andaswellcoveredwithnamesasanyminoritypetitiontoCongress。However，Ihadlivedtoomuchamongcollectorsoflatetobeeasilydismayed。ThelistwasheadedbyBlackHawk。Iexpressedmyfearsthatthegallantwarrior’signoranceoflettersmightproveanobstacletoobtaininganythingfromhispen。Ivolunteeredhowevertoprocureinstead，somethingfromaCherokeefriendofmine，theeditorofanewspaper。
{BlackHawk=BlackHawk（1767—1838），anAmericanIndian（Sac）
chieftain，defeatedbytheU。S。Armyin1832，whose\"Autobiography\"
（1833）becameanAmericanclassic。}
\"Howcharming！\"exclaimedMissRowley，claspingherhands。\"Howveryobligingofyou，Mr。Howard。Areyoufondofshooting？Mybrother’spreservesareinfineorder——orperhapsyouarepartialtoyachting——\"
Bowingmythanksfortheseamiablehints，IcarelesslyobservedthattheletteroftheCherokeeeditorwasnosacrificeatall，forthechiefandmyselfwereregularcorrespondents；Ihadadozenofhisletters，andhadjustgivenonetoMr。T—————。ThisintelligenceevidentlylessenedMissRowley’sexcessivegratitude。Shecontinuedherapplications，however，castinganeyeonherlist。
\"Perhapsyoucorrespondalsowithsomerowdies，Mr。Howard？Couldyouobligemewitharowdyletter？\"
{rowdies=inthemid—nineteenthcentury，anAmericanslangtermforbackwoodsmenorotherroughanddisorderlytypes}
Idrewupalittleatthisrequest；mycorrespondents，Iassuredthelady，weregenerallymenofrespectability，thoughoneofthemwasofasavagerace。
\"Nodoubt；butinthewayofautographs，youknow，onewouldcorrespondwith——\"
Thesentenceremainedunfinished，fortheladyadded，\"IwrotemyselftoMadameLaffarge，notlongsince。IamsorrytosayLadyHolbertonhastwoofhers；butalthoughanexcellentpersoninmostrespects，yetitcannotbedeniedthatasregardsautographs，LadyHolbertonisveryilliberal。IofferedherGrizzelBaillie，twoCardinals，WilliamPitt，andGraceDarling，foroneofherLaffarges；butshewouldnotpartwithit。Yettheexchangewasveryfair，especiallyasMadameLaffargeisstillliving。\"
{MadameLaffarge=MarieLafarge（1816—1853），Frenchwomanconvictedin1840forpoisoningherhusband；laterpardoned。GrizzelBaillie=LadyGrizelBaillie（1665—1746），Scottishpoet。WilliamPitt=eitherWilliamPitt\"theElder\"（1708—1778）orWilliamPitt\"theYounger\"（1759—1806），bothBritishPrimeMinisters。GraceDarling=
GraceDarling（1815—1842），Englishheroineandlighthousekeeper’sdaughter，famousforherrescueofcastawaysin1838。}
Ibowedanassenttotheremark。
\"AndthensheherselfactuallyoncemadeproposalsforSchinderhannes，toafriendofmine，offeringHoward，thephilanthropist，Talma，WilliamPenn，andFenelonforhim——allcommonplaceenough，youknow——andSchinderhannesquiteunique。
Myfriendwasindignant！\"
{Schinderhannes=Germanbanditchief，executedin1803。Howard=
JohnHoward（1726—1790），Englishphilanthropistandprisonreformer。
Talma=FrancoisTalma（1763—1826），popularFrenchplaywright。
WilliamPenn（1644—1718），QuakerfounderofPennsylvania。Fenelon=FrancoisFenelon（1651—1715），FrenchArchbishopandwriter}
IventuredtoexcuseLadyHolbertonbysuggestingthatprobablyatthetimeherstockofnotabilitieswaslow。
MissRowleyshookherhead，andcurledherlip，asifshefanciedtheladyhadonlybeenseekingtodriveahardbargain。
\"Ononepoint，however，Ihavecarriedtheday，Mr。Howard。LadyHolbertonisnotalittleproudofherVidocq；butIhaveobtainedonefarsuperiortohers，oneaddressedtomyselfsopiquantandgallanttoo。Icalledonthedearoldburglaronpurposetocoaxhimintowritingmeanote。\"
{Vidocq=FrancoisVidocq（1775—1857），Frenchpolicedetectivewhoturnedrobber，andwasexposedin1832。}
Iwondered，inpetto，whetherIshouldmeetanyillustriousconvictsatMissRowley’spartythenextevening；butrememberingtohaveheardhercalledanexclusive，itdidnotseemveryprobable。
{inpetto=silently，tooneself（Latin）}
Afterrunninghereyeoverthelistagain，MissRowleymadeanotherinquiry。
\"Mr。Howard，couldyougetmesomethingfromanAmericanColonel？\"
Iassuredtheladywehadcolonelsofallsorts，andbeggedtoknowwhatparticularvarietyshehadplacedonhercatalogue——wasitanofficeroftheregularservice，oroneofnoserviceatall？
\"Oh，thelast，certainly——officerswhohaveseenservicearesocommonplace！\"
MyownpenwasimmediatelyplacedatMissRowley’sdisposal，asmyswordwouldhavebeen，hadIownedone。AsIhadbeencalledcolonelahundredtimeswithouthavingcommandedaregimentonce，myownnamewasasgoodasanyotheronthepresentoccasion。
\"Youareveryobliging。Sinceyouaresogood，mayIalsotroubleyoutoprocuremealinefromaveryremarkablepersonageofyourcountry——averydistinguishedman——hehasbeenPresident，orSpeakeroftheSenate，orsomethingofthatsort。\"
TowhichofourheadmendidMissRowleyallude？
\"HeiscalledUncleSam，Ibelieve。\"
{UncleSam=\"UncleSam\"becameapopularpersonificationoftheUnitedStatesduringtheWarof1812，replacingBrotherJonathan，andwasoftenusedincontradistinctiontotheBritish\"JohnBull\"}
Thiswasnotsoeasyatask，forthoughwehavethousandsofcolonels，thereisbutoneUncleSamintheworld。Onhearingthatsuchwasthecase，MissRowley’sanxietyonthesubjectincreasedimmeasurably；butIassuredhertheoldgentlemanonlyputhisnametotreaties，andtariffs；andalthoughhissonswerewonderfullygallant，yethehimselfhadnevercondescendedtonoticeanywomanbutaqueenregnant：andIfurtherendeavoredtogivesomeideaofhisidentity。MissRowleystoppedmeshort，however。
\"Onlyprocuremeonelinefromhim，Mr。Howard，andIshallbeindebtedtoyouforlife。ItwillbetimeenoughtofindoutallabouthimwhenIoncehavehisname——thatistheessentialthing。\"
Ishrunkfromcommittingmyself，however；declaringthatIwouldassoonengagetoprocureabillet—douxfromPresterJohn。
{PresterJohn=MythicalrulerbelievedintheMiddleAgestoheadapowerfulChristianKingdomsomewhereinAsia；lateridentifiedwiththeChristianKingsofEthiopiainAfrica}
\"PresterJohn！Thatwould，indeed，bequiteinvaluable！\"
ThisAsiaticdiversionwasahappyone，andcameveryapropos，foritcarriedMissRowleyintoChina；sheinquiredifIhadanyChineseconnections。
\"Thoughaltogether，IamprettywellsatisfiedwithmyChinesenegotiations；assoonastheCelestialEmpirewasopenedtothecivilizedworld，Iengagedanagenttheretocollectforme。But，couldyouputmeonthetrackofaConfucius？\"
{openedtothecivilizedworld=followingtheso—calledOpiumWar，Britainhadin1842forcedChinatoopentradewithher}
Iwasobligedtoadmitmyinabilitytodoso；andatthesamemomentthecollectinginstinctsofLadyHolbertonandMr。T—————，drewtheirattentiontothecornerwhereMissRowleyandmyselfwereconversing；astheymovedtowardus，MissRowleypocketedherlist，throwingherselfuponmyhonornottobetraythedeficienciesinherroled’equipage，orthecollectingnegociationsjustopenedbetweenus。LadyHolberton，assheadvanced，invitedMissRowley，withanill—concealedairoftriumph，tofeasthereyesoncemoreontheLumleyautograph，andnotlongafterthepartybrokeup。
{roled’equipage=musterroll（French）；here，MissRowley’slistofherautographs}
Thenextday，inpassingHolberton—House，Iobservedthechariotofafashionablephysicianbeforethedoor；andatMissRowley’spartyintheeveninglearnedfromMr。T—————thatLadyHolbertonwasquiteunwell。ThefollowingmorningIcalledtoinquire，andreceivedforanswerthat\"herladyshipwasverymuchindisposed。\"ItwasnotuntilaweeklaterthatIsawLadyHolbertonherself，takingtheairinHydePark。Shelookedwretchedly——thinandpale。IinquiredfromtheEnglishfriendwithwhomIwasriding，iftherewasanyprobabilityofachangeofministry？Helookedsurprised；andthencatchingthedirectionofmyeye，heobserved，\"YouaskonLadyHolberton’saccount；butSirA—————B—————tellsmeherillnesswascausedbythelossoftheLumleyAutograph。\"
Thisunexpectedintelligenceprovedonlytootrue。Onreturningtomylodgings，IfoundanotefromLadyHolberton，requestingtoseeme，and，ofcourse，immediatelyobeyedthesummons。
\"Lost！——lost！——lost！Mr。Howard！\"saidthelady，endeavoringtoconcealheremotion，asshegavemethedetailsofheraffliction。
\"Itmusthavebeenstolen——baselystolen——ontheeveningofmyparty。Oh！whydidIsofoolishlyexhibititamongsomanypeople，andcollectorsamongthem，too！NeveragainwillIadmitmorethanonecollectoratatimeintotheroomwithmyalbum！\"sheexclaimedwithenergy。
Iwasshocked；surelyLadyHolbertondidnotconceiveitpossiblethatanyofherguestscouldbeguiltyofsuchbaseconduct？
\"Howlittleyouknowthem！Butitisthat，Mr。Howard，whichhasinterestedmeinyourfavor——youhavesomuchnaivete，andignoranceofthemoralturpitudeoftheoldworld，thatIfeelconvincedyounevercouldbeguiltyofsuchanactionyourself。\"
IassuredLadyHolbertonthatinthisrespectsheonlydidmejustice；
and，infact，atheftofthekindshealludedtoappearedtomeallbutincredible。
\"Rememberthatitwasonlytheotherdaythat—————losthisinvaluablealbum；rememberthatlastwinterMadamede—————hadallhernotesonbotanicalsubjectsstolenfromherownportfolio——andI
couldmentionadozeninstancesofthesamewickedness。\"
Thesefactswerealreadyknowntome，butIhadforgottenthem。I
remarkedwithaglowofnationalpride，thatwecertainlyweremuchmorevirtuousinthesemattersacrosstheocean；inAmericawearemuchabovepilferingautographs；whenwedosteal，itisbythevolume——weseizeallanauthor’sstockintradeatoneswoop，andwithoutcondescendingtosayeven，thankye，forit。
{author’sstockintrade=thoughostensiblyreferringtothestealingofautographs，SusanFenimoreCooperisalsoclearlyreferringtothewidespreadpiratingofBritishandotherforeignliteraryworksbyAmericanpublishers，intheabsenceofinternationalcopyrightlaws——
whichnotonlycheatedtheauthors，butmadelifedifficultforAmericanauthorsexpectingtobepaidfortheircreations}
\"SoIhavealwaysunderstood，Mr。Howard——andIfeltthatmyalbumwassafewithyou，\"observedLadyHolberton，withtearsinhereyes。
Wishingtorelievethisdistress，Iproposedadvertisingforthelosttreasure——applyingtothepolice。
LadyHolbertonsmiledthroughhertears，assheassuredmethatthepolice，oldandnew，hadbeenenlistedinherserviceanhourafterthediscoveryofherloss，whilecommunicationshadbeenopenedwiththemunicipalgovernmentsofBrussels，Paris，andVienna，onthesamesubject。
{police，oldandnew=thefirstmodernEnglishpoliceforcehadbeenestablishedin1829bySirRobertPeel——fromwhichtheBritishnicknameof\"bobby\"forpoliceman。}
\"Andhaveyounoclue，nosuspicions？——yourservants——yourmaid？\"
Theaspersiononherhouseholdwasindignantlyrepelled。
\"Youwillreadilybelieve，Mr。Howard，thatacollector，theownerofsuchanalbumasIhavethehonorofpossessing，isparticularlycarefulastowhomsheadmitsintoherfamily。Iwillvouchforallaboutme；stillIhavesuspicions——but——\"
Ibeggedhertospeak，ifshethoughtIcouldbeoftheleastassistance。
\"Yes，Iwilltrustmyson’sfriend。Mr。Howard，IheresolemnlyaccuseTheodosiaRowleyofhavingstolentheLumleyAutograph！\"
Thedignityofmanner，theconcentratedpassionofexpression，thestrengthofemphasiswithwhichLadyHolbertonspoke，wouldhavedonehonortoaSiddons。Thenaturalstartofhorrorandamazementonmypart，wasalso，nodoubt，veryexpressive——forIwasspeechlesswithsurprise。
\"Iseeyoudonotcreditthis，\"continuedthelady。
Butthought，likeaflashoflightning，hadalreadyrecalledsomecircumstancesofthelasteveningatHolberton—House。Ididcredittheaccusation，andimmediatelyinformedLadyHolbertonofwhatI
hadobserved，butforgotten，untilremindedofthefactsbyherownremarks。IhadseenMissRowley，bendinglowoverthealbumatamomentwhensomeonewastellinganexceedinglyhumorousstorywhichengrossedtheattentionoftherestofthecompany。
\"Couldshehavehadanaccomplice？\"criedthelady，withdashingeyes。
Iknewnothingonthatpoint。But，Iadded，thatsoonafterMissRowleyhadlefttheroomveryquietly；andasIfollowedhertofulfillanotherengagement，shehadstarted，turnedpale，andbetrayedmuchnervousness，scarcelyallowingmetoassisthertohercarriage，althoughweleftthehouseatthesameinstant。
LadyHolberton’ssuspicionswerenowconfirmedbeyondadoubt。
\"Andyetitseemsincrediblethatanyladyshouldbeguiltyofsuchconduct！\"Iexclaimed，almostrepentinghavingallowedthepreviousremarkstopassmylips。\"MissRowleyisundoubtedlyawomanofprinciple——orgoodmoralstanding。\"
\"Moralstanding！——principle！\"exclaimedLadyHolberton，bitterly。\"Yes，whereanautographisconcerned，TheodosiaRowleyhasalltheprincipleofaMagpie\"
{Magpie=Europeanbirdknownforstealingandhidingsmallbrightobjects。}
Whatevermighthavebeenthefact，itwasclearatleastthatLadyHolberton’sopinionwasnowunalterablymadeup。
\"Remember，sheisaButlerite！\"addedthelady，thusputtingthelasttouchtothecircumstantialevidenceagainstMissRowley。
Weekspassedby。Theadvertisementsremainedunanswered。Thepolicecouldgivenoinformation。LadyHolbertonwasindespair；thephysiciansdeclaredthatherhealthmusteventuallygivewayundertheanxietyanddisappointmentconsequentuponthismelancholyaffair。Muchsympathywasfeltfortheafflictedlady；evenMissRowleycalledoftentocondole，butshewasneveradmitted。
\"Icouldnotseethecrocodile！\"exclaimedLadyHolberton，quitethrownoffherguardoneday，bythesightofMissRowley’scardwhichshethrewintothefire。
Someconsolation，however，appearedtobederivedfromtheassiduousattentionsofMr。T—————，whopersonallyadmiredLadyHolberton；atleastheprofessedtodoso，thoughsomepersonsaccusedhimofinterestedviews，andaimingatheralbumratherthanherself。Butalthoughhisattentionswerereceived，yetnothingcouldaffordfullconsolation。Atlength，allothermeansfailing，attheendofamonth，itwasproposedthattwopersons，mutualfriendsofLadyHolbertonandMissRowley，shouldcallonthelatterlady，andappealprivatelytohersenseofhonor，torestoretheautographifitwereactuallyinherpossession。Thisplanwasfinallyagreedon；buttheverydayitwastohavebeencarriedintoexecution，MissRowleylefttownforanexcursioninFinland。
Asformyself，Iwasalsoonthewing，andleftLondonaboutthesametime。ThepartingwithLadyHolbertonwasmelancholy；shewasmuchdepressed，andthephysicianshadrecommendedthewatersofWiesbaden。Mr。T—————wasalsopreparingforanexcursiontoGermany；andhewassuspectedofvascillating{sic}inhisButleriteviews，broughtoverbyLadyHolberton’stearsandlogic。
ReturningtoLondon，somethreemonthslater，Ifoundmanyofmyformeracquaintainces{sic}wereabsent；butLadyHolberton，MissRowley，andMr。T—————wereallintownagain。ThedayafterIarrived—
—itwasTuesdaythe20thofAugust——asIwaswalkingalongPiccadilly，aboutfiveo’clockintheafternoon，myeyefellonthewindowsofMr。Thorpe’sgreatestablishment。Iwasthinkingoverhislastcatalogueofautographs，whenIhappenedtoobserveaplain，modest—lookingyounggirlcastingatimidglanceatthedoor。Therewassomethinganxiousandhesitatinginhermanner，whichattractedmyattention。Accustomed，likemostAmericans，toassistawomaninanylittledifficulty，andwithnotionsbettersuitedperhapstothemeridianofYankee—landthanthatofLondon，Iaskedifshewereinanytrouble。HowrichlywasIrewardedfortheactofgood—
nature！Sheblushedandcourtesied{sic}。
{Tuesday，20thofAugust=doesthisdatethefinalcompositionof\"TheLumleyAutograph\"orofitssetting？August20fellonaTuesdayin1844and1850}
\"Please，sir，isittruethattheypaymoneyforoldlettersatthisplace？\"
\"Theydo——haveyouanythingofthekindtodisposeof？\"
Judgeofmygratification，myamazement，whensheproducedtheLumleyAutograph！
OfcourseIinstantlytookit，atherownprice——onlyhalfaguinea——
andIfurthergaveherLadyHolberton’saddress，thatshemightclaimtheliberalrewardpromisedfarthepreciousletter。Tearscameintothepoorchild’seyeswhenshefoundwhatawaitedher，andI
mayaswellobserveatoncethatthisyounggirlprovedtobethedaughterofapoorbed—riddenartisanofClapham，whohadseenbetterdays，butwastheningreatwant。Itisanill—windthatblowsnogoodluck，andthecontestfortheLumleyAutographwasagreatadvantagetothepoorartisanandhisfamily。Thegirlhadpickedupthepaperearlyonemorning，inaroadnearClapham，asshewasgoingtoherwork；LadyHolbertongaveherahandfulofguineasasthepromisedreward——asumbythebyejustdoubleinamountwhatthepoorpoethadreceivedforhisbestpoem——andshealsocontinuedtolookafterthefamilyintheirtroubles。
Buttoreturntotheimportantdocumentitself。NevercanIforgettheexpressivegratitudethatbeamedonthefinecountenanceofLadyHolbertonwhenIrestoreditoncemoretoherpossession。Sherapidlyrecoveredherhealthandspirits，anditwasgenerallyreportedthatseizingthisfavorablemoment，Mr。T—————hadofferedhimselfandhiscollection，andthatbothhadbeengraciouslyaccepted。MissRowleycalledandasortofpaixplatreewasmadeupbetweentheladies。AcargoofAmericanautographsarrivedcontainingtheletteroftheCherokeeeditor，thesign—manualofgovernorsandcolonelswithoutnumber，andIevensucceededinobtainingepistlesfromseveralnotedrowdies，especiallytogratifytheladies。LadyHolbertonmadeherselection，andtherestweredividedbetweenMissRowleyandMr。T—————。JoyattherecoveryoftheLumleyAutographseemedtodiffuseanunusualspiritofharmonyamongcollectors；manydesirableexchangeswerebroughtaboutandthingslookedcharmingly。Alas，howlittlewerewepreparedforwhatensued！
{paixplatree=patched—uppeace（French）}
OntheoccasionofthepresenceinLondonoftwoillustriousroyaltravelers，LadyHolbertongavealargeparty。Sosaidthepapersatleast；butIknewbetter。ItwaschieflytocelebratetherecoveryoftheLumleyAutograph，anditsrestorationtohercelebratedAlbumthatthefetewasgiven。TheAlbumwasproduced，inspiteofahalf—
formedvowofLadyHolbertontothecontrary，butthenHisRoyalHighnessPrince——————————hadparticularlyrequestedtoseetheletterofthepoorpoet，havinghearditmentionedatdinner。Theeveningpassedoffbrilliantly，theirroyalhighnesses，came，saw，anddeparted。Thecrowdfollowedthemtoanotherhouse，whileafavoredfew，chieflycollectors，remainedlingeringaboutthetableonwhichlaytheAlbum。Ishouldhavesaidearlier，thatLadyHolbertonhadappointedanewofficeinherhouseholdtheverydayafterthelossoftheLumleyAutograph；thiswasnootherthanaprettylittlepage，dressedintheoldcostumeofastudentofPadua，whosesoledutyitwastowatchovertheAlbumwheneveritwasremovedfromtherichandheavycaseinwhichitusuallylayenshrined。HewastheguardoftheAlbum，andwasstrictlyenjoinednever，foroneinstant，toremovehiseyesfromthepreciousvolumefromthemomenthewasplacedonduty，untilrelieved。
Well，therewewere，somedozenofus，collectedaboutthetable；
LadyHolbertonlookingtriumphant，Mr。T—————veryproud；andtherestoodthepageoftheAlbum，dressedinhisPaduasoygown，witheyesfastenedonthebook，accordingtoorders，whilehesupporteditsgorgeouscaseinhisarms。SomeremarkwasmadeastotheextraordinarymannerinwhichthepreciousAutographhadbeenlost，andthenfoundagain。Mybloodactuallyboiled，asoneofthecompanyturnedtomeandaskedinasuspicioustone，ifIdidnotknowmoreofitshistorythanIchosetoconfess？Myindignationwasboundless；fortunatelyIcouldproducethefriendwalkingwithmeinPiccadilly，andtheartisan’sfamilyatClapham，aswitnessesinmyfavor。MissRowleywasstandingnearmeatthemoment。
{Paduasoy=astrongcordedorgros—grainsilkfabric，traditionallyassociatedwithPadua，Italy}
\"Still，Mr。Howard，\"observedthatlady；\"Ireallycannotseewhyyoushouldresenttheinsinuationsowarmly。Now，doyouknow，IamnotatallsorrytohaveitinmypowertodeclarethatIhavesomeknowledgeofthefateofthatpaperduringitseclipse。\"
Alleyeswereinstantlyfixedonthespeaker。Theladysmiledandcontinued：
\"LadyHolbertonthinkstheLumleyAutographwasstolen——I
understandsheeventhoughtitwasstolenbymyself——\"
Shehereturneddeliberatelytowardourhostess，wholookeduneasy。
\"Ifsuchwereyoursuspicions，LadyHolberton，\"continuedMissRowley，speakingwithgreatdeliberation——\"Iamhappytosaytheywerequitecorrect——youonlydidmejustice——Iamproudtodeclarethedeedwasmine——\"
Wewereallspeechlessathearingthissuddenandboldavowal。
\"ItwasI，TheodosiaRowley，whocarriedoff——thewordisoflittleconsequence——whostole，Irepeat，thatpreciouspaper。Solongasthetreasurewasmine，theconsciousnessofpossessingitwassufficientinitself——buthavingafterwardlostitfrommypocketbyunpardonablecarelessness，Ishallatleastnowgloryinthedaringdeedwhichmadeitoncemyown。\"
Conceivetheamazementwhichtheseremarks——deliveredwithcalmenthusiasm——producedamongthelisteningcircle。Weallknowthathighcrimesandmisdemeanorsenougharecommittedbymen，andwomentoo；butsomehoworotherthedelinquentsarenotoftengiventotalkingofthem；theywouldjustasliefingeneralthattheactshouldnotbeknown。TheeffectofMissRowley’swordswasdifferentondifferentindividuals。Asformyself，Iinvoluntarilyfeltforthehandkerchiefinmypocket。Thepageofthealbumdrewnearer。
LadyHolbertonlookedaghast，asthoughshehadseenacannibal。
Somebittheirlips；othersopenedtheireyes。Mr。T—————，however，whoheldthealbumatthemoment，andwasbendingoveritwhenMissRowleybeganherextraordinarydisclosure，raisedhiseyes，fixedhisglassesonthefairspeaker，andsentthroughthemsuchaglanceasnowordscanfullydescribe。Itwasaglanceofintenseadmiration。
\"Whatexaltedviews！Whatsublimesentiments！\"heexclaimedinanecstasy。
ButMr。T—————’sblazeofadmirationwasnottheonlyflameatwork，whilehewasgazingattheheroineofthemoment。Inthesuddenburstofenthusiasmrousedbythefairpurloiner，heforgotallelse；
thepreciousvolumeinhishanddrooped，touchedtheflameofawax—lightonthetable，andinanotherinstantthegreatHolbertonAlbum，thatAlbumofEuropeanreputation——wasburningbeforeoureyes——itsinvaluableleaveswerecurling，andblackening，andsmokingunderthedevouringflame！
AshriekfromLadyHolberton——anunearthlycryfromthepageoftheAlbum——bothechoedbythespectators，cametoolate。Thevolumewashalfconsumed。OftheLumleyAutographnotalineremained！
Suchwastheill—fatedendoftheletterofthepoorstarvingpoet。Itwaswrittenamidgloomanddistress；itscareerclosedinastormyhour。ThelossoftheAlbumofcoursebrokeofftheengagementbetweenLadyHolbertonandMr。T—————。Thishowevercouldscarcelyhavebeenregrettedunderthecircumstances，fortheirunion，afterthecatastrophemusthavebeenonelongseriesofmiserablereproaches。ThesuddenchangeinMr。T—————’sfeelingstowardMissRowleywasnotamomentaryone；theadmirationfirstkindledbythatlady’sbolddeclaration，grewtobethestrongestsentimentofhisheart，andonlyafewweekslaterhewasmadethehappiestofmenbyreceivingashisownthefairhandwhichaccomplishedthedeed。MissRowleyandMr。T—————wereunitedinthebandsofmatrimonyandcollectorship。LadyHolbertonwasstillinconsolablewhenIleftLondon；shewasthinkingoftravelingamongtheHottentots，orinanyotherclimewherealbumsareunknownandherlosscouldbeforgotten。ThejourneytoKaffirlandwashoweverpostponeduntilthenextchangeofministry，andIhavelearnedrecentlythattheladyhassofarrecoveredherspiritsastobethinkingofan’Omnibus。’Theverylastpacket，indeed，broughtaflatteringapplicationtomyself；LadyHolbertongraciouslydeclaringthatthenameofJonathanHowardisnotonlyvaluedbyherself，asthatofafriend，butinterestingtocollectorsgenerally，ashavingbeenonceconnectedwiththatmuchlamenteddocument，nowlosttotheworld，theletterofthepoorstarvingpoet，knownastheLumleyAutograph。
{\"Omnibus\"=inthiscontext，an\"omnibusbill\"（i。e。，onedealingwithavarietyofsubject）inParliament}