Chapter 3 Chapter two

A small fire broke out that night and changed Albert.Quesetti's life.He was working in the basement as usual, so he was the first to spot the fire.He was in the basement because of Sidney.That's where the computers at Glaser's Antique Bookstore are located.The owner, Mr. Glaser, didn't like the machines, and he hated even more the fact that computers were necessary to earn a living in the book trade.He likes to decorate the store clean and bright, with paneled walls and carpeted floors, and then personally present his treasures to customers in such a space.A few years ago, he finally came to terms with the fact that when recruiting new store associates, he asked all applicants if they knew how to use a computer, set up and maintain an online catalog.Among the applicants, the first person who stated that he was a non-smoker and knew how to use a computer was admitted immediately. That person was 34-year-old Albert.Quesetti.Quesetti is from Queens and still lives with her mother in a brick house.His widowed mother is a retired library researcher. The relationship between mother and child is good, but it is not the kind of Oedipus confusion complex that Freud said.Quesetti hopes to one day make movies, so she's saving up to get into the prestigious NYU film school.He graduated from Queens College and started working for Glaser less than a month after receiving his diploma.Quesetti likes the job in front of him: regular commuting hours and good salary.Glaser was obsessed with rare books like a madman, but the old man also knew that he had a Quesetti available in the store, so he almost left the mail order transactions and electronic troubles to Quesetti. .

The place where Quesetti works is basically a small cave, with walls lined with shelves, glass cabinets and crates, all crammed full of books.Here he updates the online catalog and works from the forms that Mr. Glaser wrote out (written in pen with such beauty that you rarely see them these days).He is also responsible for controlling the inventory, entering different systems to print out the order notices from book lovers around the world for the boss to use later.In addition, his responsibilities include unpacking and shipping books and other related chores.He hardly dared to go upstairs to the exhibition room, because there were always some quiet and well-dressed people sorting out the ancient books as gently and carefully as they would a newborn baby.

The only thing I hated about this job was the smell, a mix of old books, rats, rodenticide poison, drain pipes, heated paint, and deep fryer fumes. It was an undertone of smell.The smell of fried smoke comes from a typical New York Midtown restaurant next door, called Aegean, which serves Danish pastries, toast, eggs, and weak coffee in the morning, and sandwiches, fried food, and carbonated drinks for a few hours around noon.One day in July of one year, just after mealtime, Quesetti was wondering whether he should stop working on the website, take a lunch break, or call and order a sandwich.

Or simply skip lunch.He often thought that his lungs had taken in enough calories from the oily smoke of the Aegean Sea, the main source of which was fat.Quesetti doesn't do much exercise, and he likes to eat the dishes cooked by his mother, so he has a small swimming ring hanging around his waist and his chin is quite full.Whenever he shaved, he would see a fat chin on the face staring at him in the mirror.He doesn't like it very much.He wanted to invite the clerk upstairs to dinner, maybe Caroline.What Rory breathed into her lungs was more disgusting than the air that smelled of old books.He knew that Luo Li would sometimes eat with Glaser, and they would temporarily close the upstairs store and go out, leaving Quesetti to work below.He would fantasize a little, and then shake off the thought.Luo Li is a book lover, and he, although he has learned a lot about book trading, such as prices, contracts, etc., when using a computer for work, he has no enthusiasm for books.By the usual standards of eye-catching magazines or movies, Lori is not a beauty: she is tall enough, but a little more muscular than what is fashionable nowadays.Quesetti seemed to have read somewhere that some women looked more beautiful without clothes than with clothes, and he thought that was the case with Lori: she was unremarkable with clothes, because she wore black like everyone else.

But there are certain things about her that catch the eye: the lustrous, smooth, dark hair that reaches shoulder length and is held back by a silver hair accessory to reveal her face; At one point, there is a strange little crease around the nose; her lips are surprisingly thin and pale, and when she speaks, you can see her equally strange teeth, the front teeth are very long, looking fierce; her eyes are exaggeratedly blue, Like the color of a summer sky (god, that's a cliché).Quesetti is not a book lover, but he has read books. His favorite novels are mostly fantasy literature and science fiction stories. Sometimes he likes to imagine Miss Lori as a vampire, so that can explain the black clothes, her face and teeth. She is, however, a daytime vampire.

Maybe he could invite her to lunch and start a chat with her with this question, otherwise he couldn't think of anything else to talk about.When Quesetti first started working in the store, she had already worked there. Over the past few years, they only had one or two occasional conversations that were considered more formal.She came to work on her bicycle, which meant she lived nearby, and the next neighborhood was Murray Hill, which meant she had some money, because no one could afford a place like that on Glaser's salary.According to Quisetti's experience, an Italian man with less muscle and living with his mother in Queens is definitely not the type for a young, attractive and rich Manhattan girl, but Luo Li may be. exception, who knows

Quesetti was having these interesting thoughts while working through a place where HTML was particularly troublesome.He thought about Luo Li's eyes, what was so special about her electrified eyes, his mind was completely occupied by Luo Li's eyes and computer work, so that he didn't notice that the oily smell was particularly greasy at the first time , not just the stench, but the smoke.He stood up and walked towards the wall in the basement of the bookstore, feeling like he couldn't help coughing.Opposite this wall is the restaurant.The smoke was thicker against the wall, and he could even see charcoal tendrils of smoke seeping in through cracks in the old brickwork.He touched the bricks with his hands and found that the walls were hot.

He hurried up the wooden stairs leading to the storefront on the first floor, stumbling all the way.There was no one in the store, and there was a sign of rest on the door. Obviously, the owner, Glaser, took his lover to eat again.He went to the street outside and saw some people crowding around the door of the Aegean Sea restaurant, peeping their heads, and greasy gray smoke came out of the restaurant door.Quesetti grabbed a passer-by to ask what was going on, and the man said there was a fire in the kitchen.He heard sirens go off, police cars arrived, and officers began to disperse the crowd.Quesetti ran back to the store, and then back to the basement, the smoke was thick and choking, with a strong and disgusting old oily smell.Quesetti took the backup disc from the computer and ran up, directly to the locked cabinet where the most valuable items were kept. The key was of course with Glaser.Quesetti hesitated only for a moment before kicking the glass and the first thing he caught was Thomas.McKenney and James.Hull's "History of Indian Tribes in North America" ​​is a three-volume folio, which is regarded as the treasure of the store.He took out the book and put it on the table.On the upper shelf of the cabinet is the first edition of "Pride and Prejudice", which is divided into three volumes, and "Leaves of Grass", which is also a precious first edition.The small stack of books he rescued has a market value of 250,000 yuan.He picked up the books and walked toward the door, stopping halfway there, cursing angrily.He thought of Onson and John.The 1732 edition of Essays on Voyages by the Churchill Brothers is still downstairs.He stood there in pain and hesitated to save these things in his hand, or went downstairs to get "Anthology of Voyages and Voyages"?

No, you must go downstairs again.He put the book back on the table and walked to the basement stairs when a strong hand grabbed him from behind and asked him where he wanted to go.The other party was a big fireman with a fire mask on his face, obviously not a book lover.However, he let Quesetti leave with the three precious books taken from the cabinet.Standing on the sidewalk, the young clerk watched as police cordoned off the store entrance, panting and filthy, with a book clutched to his chest.Then Gracer and Lori arrived.Glaser took what was in Quesetti's hand and asked, "Where's Dickens?"

He was referring to the 1902 edition with watercolor illustrations by Kidd and Greene, which totaled sixty volumes.Quesetti had no choice but to say sorry, but he couldn't be rescued.Glaser wanted to push away the two policemen and rush back into the store, but the police scolded him and refused to let him in, and Glaser also choked back. Lori looked up at Quesetti and asked: Did you manage to get that Voyages set out of the basement? When I was about to get it, they stopped me.He explained about the big fireman. She took a breath. After the fire, everything in the bookstore was going to smell like bad chips.But at least you saved History of the Indian Tribes of North America.

Also Pride and Prejudice and Leaves of Grass. Yes, and Jane.Austin and Walter.Whitman.The boss thought you didn't understand rare books at all. I only know the price of the book, he said. yes.If the fireman hadn't shown up, would you have rushed down to the fire to save the Voyagers? There was no fire in the store at all, he said calmly: or almost no fire.Quesetti had known Luo Li for so long, and she smiled at him for the first time, grinning like a little wolf. When they returned to the store the next day, they found that the display room on the first floor was not damaged except for some smoke damage and a foul smell.Books are fine too.When fighting the fire, firefighters broke through the partition wall, and as a result, many things in the basement of the bookstore were on fire, or were crushed by collapsed bricks or soaked in water. The Anthology of Sailing Travels was packed in a cargo box, and unfortunately it was the first to be hit when the wall collapsed.The books now lie among the ruins on a work table; Mr. Glaser, Quesetti, and Lori stand at the table like detectives examining a dead body, at least the two young men. It looked more like Mr. Glazer, the policeman, than the victim's mother.He gently stroked the pure calfskin cover of the first book with his fingers. The cover was crushed and blackened, and it was extremely damp. I don't know, he said in a slightly hoarse voice: I don't know if we need to spend more time on renovations, this loss is too great! Don't have insurance?Queser asked.Glaser and Luo Li glared at him angrily. Insurance, of course, said Glazer in a biting tone: But that's not the point!This is probably the finest set of Churchill's 1732 editions in the world today, at least it was before the fire.It was originally housed in the small library of the Godfins family.No one has touched or read this set of books since it entered the library collection until the last heir passed away and closed the library in 1965.It later fell into the hands of a Spanish entrepreneur who had collected it for nearly forty years. I just bought it at auction last month.The books are in good condition, not a single sign of breakage or yellowing or oh well, nevermind, I think I'll just have to take the books apart, the maps and illustrations are still usable. no!Luo Li yelled: It must be fixed. Glaser looked up from the thick reading glasses and stared at her, no, it's too uneconomical, you figure out how much it will cost to restore, and how much the set of books can sell after restoration.He paused, cleared his throat and said, "No, I'm afraid we have to open the books."He said this in a tone like an oncologist announcing to a patient: This is the terminal stage of cancer. Glaser let out a long sigh and waved his hand feebly, as if trying to repel mosquitos. I'll leave the book to you, little Lori, get it done as soon as possible before it gets moldy.He trudged into the private office. How many books does he want you to open?Queser asked. It's easy to unpack the books, but we're going to dry the set first, and she looks like she's thinking of something else: I need help.After she finished speaking, she seemed to notice his presence again, and a pleading expression appeared on her face.He likes her expression so much.He looked back deliberately, pretending that she was talking about someone standing behind him, and then said: Oh, it can't be me!God, I've failed drawing classes since kindergarten. No, you are in charge of getting the tissues.The drying process takes a day and night, possibly several days. What about the work in the bookstore? She compared the neighborhood with her hands. The store will be closed for a month for renovations. You can process orders with any computer anyway, can't you? Maybe.Where are you going to work? My house, my place is very big, let's go.She picked up two of the books in the set and leaned on her hip to relieve the weight on her arms. right now? Of course, you heard Glaser just now, the sooner we start, the less damage the moisture will do.You take the rest, we will wrap it in paper and take it there. where do you livehe asked, picking up the ruined book and holding it to his chest. Red Bend.She replied that she was already at the loading table, tearing the brown wrapping paper from the large scroll. Are you biking from the red bend area?Quesetti had never been to Red Bend.It's on the South Shore of Brooklyn, fronted by the old Brooklyn Pier.There is no subway station in the Red Bend area.Most of the local residents were dock workers at the port, and they walked to work every day. Later, the shipping industry moved to New Jersey, where it fell into depression.Outsiders rarely go to that area unless they want to die. Of course not, she replied as she packed Book Six, and I rode down to the East River first, then took a water taxi from the Thirty-fourth Street Pier. Isn't that expensive? Yes, but my rent is cheap anyway.Put those books in plastic sleeves.Quesetti glanced at the book in his hand. A charcoal-black liquid slowly seeped out of the book and flowed onto his brown trousers. For the first time in his life, he regretted that he was not wearing black clothes.That's what the fashionable people wear, and so does Lori.She said her goodbyes and went upstairs first, leaving him to wrap up the remaining few volumes. After packing the books, the two of them started to walk east of the city.They stuffed heavy books into the mesh basket on Lori's bike.Her bicycle was one of those heavy, battered bikes favored by food deliveries in the early days, or by the Viet Cong in the early days.Several times along the way he tried to start a conversation, but got only curt answers, so he fell silent.Luo Li's attitude seemed to mean: boy, we're not dating.But looking at it from another angle, the weather is very pleasant, the temperature is in the early 26 to 7 degrees Celsius, and the humidity is lower than that in the tropics. I have the opportunity to talk to Caroline.Rory strolled through town together, and not talking was a whole lot better than making an inventory in a greasy basement.And get a salary.Quesetti was full of hope, anticipating what would happen in the woman's apartment. He'd never taken a water taxi, and now finds that traveling by boat is far better than taking the subway.Lori secured her bicycle to the railing in front of the boat and stood beside her, and he stood beside her with his hands on the same rail.Others on board looked like tourists. How are you?Luo Li asked him. At this time, the boat was swaying to the middle of the East River. Of course, I have a lot of experience in sailing.When I was a child, I spent most of my time in a rented boat, fishing in Sheepshead Bay.Do you want me to hug you at the bow, like Kate in "Titanic".Like Winslet? Her face suddenly became serious and serious, and she turned her head away.It seems that this time is definitely not a date. Caroline.Lori lived on the second floor of a Civil War warehouse, built of black brick, on the corner of Van Brandt and Caffey Streets.Quesetti was holding the book, and Luo Li led the bicycle up the dark and narrow stairs. There was a strong smell in the air that he couldn't identify. It smelled sweet and chemical.The door to her apartment was heavy wood and bars, painted navy gray. The house turned out to be an attic, but it wasn't the kind that millionaires in Soho live in, but a room about sixty by thirty feet (50 pings).The floor was black-stained wood, with cast-iron columns extending from the floor to a high ceiling of gray tin.The red brick walls were rough-edged with fine bits of dirty gray grout.The room faces east and west, and light streams in from the large dirty windows on both sides, some of which have been replaced with plywood or tattered gray plastic sheets. Lori leaned her bicycle against the wall by the door, then walked to the window and placed a package of books on a long table.Quesetti followed, looking around curiously, looking for a door or corridor leading to the living room.Luo Li had already begun to unpack a book. Quesetti approached and found that the table was handmade. The table legs appear to be made of yellow fiberglass.He hurriedly put the rest of the books on the table.The table feels as solid as a marble plinth and has a simple elegance that you would only find in a design showroom. She unwrapped the paper and put the books on the table.Even a layman like him could tell that the covers of two of the volumes were damaged beyond repair. It's a nice place, Quesetti said.He knew very well that Luo Li was not going to talk, nor would he buy him tea or beer.There was no response, and she looked down at the battered cover of the first volume. What is the taste?he asks. The main flavor is malt. This was originally a brewery with a history of about a hundred years, and then it was used to store chemicals. Mind if I look around? Luo Li replied: There is a large package of tissues on the shelf on the wall over there, bring it here. Quesetti took his time and walked around the big room slowly.He found that there were a lot of rough wooden pallets piled up in the corner, as well as some boards removed from the pallets. The wall facing south was almost entirely occupied by shelving and cabinets made of this kind of wood.The wood is treated, sanded smooth, painted and then polished.The shelf is full of books, all of which are hardcover, most of which have dust jackets, and some have plastic sleeves.He couldn't see any of Lori's personal effects, framed photographs, or memorabilia. The kitchen has a two-burner electric stove, a mini microwave, and a small notched ceramic sink, and the kitchen worktop is a large work table made of the same edged, firm-cut board, but covered with an additional A thick layer of amber resin.Along the east-facing wall is another stack of pallets with a rolled-up Japanese futon on it, and a table made from spools of cable, and two of the kind you might find in a junk heap. The chairs, all carefully repaired and painted cream.So, one chair is hers and the visitor sits in one, is that right?That means she has a social life.He began to wonder who her friend might be.There was a screen in the southeast corner, also made of pallet wood, and he guessed it was a toilet.Next to the screen was a large old wardrobe. He was about to take a peek behind the screen when Luo Li's impatient voice sounded behind him.He hurried back to her with six packs of tissues.In all damp books, two paper towels should be sandwiched every ten pages, and the paper towels should be changed every hour.During this drying process, the book is laid flat on the work table, pressed against a heavy steel plate wrapped in a cloth to prevent swelling. I don't understand. After each book is inserted into the paper towel and firmly pressed under the steel plate, Quese asked, anyway, if the whole set of books is to be disassembled, leaving only the maps and illustrations for use, why bother with the books? Dry?Why not take the good parts and throw the rest away? Because it was the right thing to do, Lori hesitated before saying: If the pages were torn off while the book was still wet, the illustrations would curl. I understand.He said.In fact, he didn't understand at all.The way he sees the young woman now is completely different, as if less attractive.He sat on the stool and watched her profile carefully. So it's quite interesting, he said: I don't have any experience in watching books dry.Maybe you should remind me what to pay attention to so I don't miss a step. He smiled at her, and there was a blue gleam in her eyes that made him happy, but there was no smile on her mouth.You can grab a book and read while you wait.She said: I have many books. Or we can talk and I can tell you all my hopes and dreams and you can tell yours and hours will fly by and we will get to know each other. Go ahead, then, she replied after a pause, feeling like she wasn't too keen on it. No, ladies first, your life seems much more interesting than mine. There was a look of surprise on her face, and she gasped and exhaled, blushing.Really?She said, my God!That's not the case, why do you think so?You think my life is interesting? This place you live is one of the reasons you live in a warehouse in the Red Bend It's just a loft, and there are thousands of people living in lofts in New York City. No, they lived in an apartment with a loft, and usually their furniture was bought in a store, not made of pallets.Is it legal for you to live here? The landlord doesn't care about that. Let's just assume he knows it's illegal.Also, it's not unusual that you know how to frame books, is it?How did you come to this line of work? So what are your hopes and dreams? look!what are you trying to hideIt's interesting.OK, so I'll tell you the whole story: I live with my mother over in Ozon Park in Queens, and I'm saving to go to film school, and at the rate I'm saving, it'll be about a month before my fifty-second birthday Then wishes will come true.I should take out a loan, but I'm afraid of debt. How much money have you saved? About three thousand five hundred. I have more money than you. I think so, Glaser probably pays you more than I do, you have sales commissions, you live in the Red Bend area, and you have two suits the one you're wearing now and the other one with the collar.What are you saving money for? I want to go to Gelsenkirchen in Germany and then apprentice at Klee Bookbinding.He didn't respond, when she went on: Looks like you've never heard of any of this. Of course I've heard that Clay is the Harvard of book binding.But I thought you already know it all, all the equipment has the tools unfolded on the work table, cutting utensils, whetstones, knives, leather pads and glue cans, it looks very good In the style of the eighteenth century.Quesetti thought that this was the tool that bound Churchill's Voyages. I'm not even close.she retorted. Right. I mean compared to someone who knows how to make a book from scratch, I can only mend, which is like the difference between restoring a broken Ming Dynasty porcelain vase and making a vase from scratch with clay and glaze. It's a world of difference. Yeah, since we've shared our secrets like this and the atmosphere is pretty comfortable, why don't you tell me what you're going to do next after you've fixed those Churchills? What?I'm not fixing those books, I'm taking them apart. Red dots appeared on her cheeks, and she stared.She looked like a girl who was caught lying. No, he said confidently: If you want to take the book apart, you will airlift the book directly to Andover, Massachusetts for vacuum drying, so that you can take back the dry and clean book without hassle, and save money. money.You look surprised, I'm not what you call a book lover, but I'm not an idiot either, so what do you do with those repaired books? sell.she said, looking down at the drenched book. When repaired books are sold? No.We all know we have a particularly beautiful set of books.I personally have some private customers who have some unknown money that they want to convert into collectibles.I'm also learning from Glaser, he's always done the same thing.Anyway, he will declare the total loss of these books to the insurance company, and then ask the insurance company for payment. I don't know the residual value after the total loss, but it is less than 2,500 yuan.Then the amount paid by the insurance company will be the price difference after deducting the residual value after the total loss from the total amount he bought for this set of books at that time, and the amount will be about 20,000 yuan. So you sell this set of books to your secret client, and you'll probably get that much money in your pocket.Is there a word to describe this behavior?Begins with ㄊ? It's not stealing at all.Glaser told me to take the books apart, for him the set no longer exists and he will get reimbursed from the insurance company.I'm just using my technology for profit, it's like making something out of discarded pallets. Well, of course it's different.I went to Jesuit high school, and my high school education taught me that these two things are not at all the same.But it's been a long time since I've graduated and you're an interesting person, and it's interesting to be off track.Since you don't intend to dismantle these books, how are you going to generate an invoice for the remaining illustrations to apply for the residual value? She shrugged. Glaser never got a headache from broken things, and he didn't want to be too upset.He called it vulture food, dead stuff. You didn't answer my question.But I guess you'll sell the book for twenty-two thousand and give Glaser a few thousand dollars to swindle the insurance company with your bogus invoice.Throughout the scheme, the insurance company, Glaser, your mystery client, the tax man, etc. were all caught and scammed.That's great. How dare you tell me!Quese had only seen flaming eyes in movies before, but at this moment, he saw a small blue fire hissing in Luo Li's eyes. No, he said with a smile.Because it would be boring.So how do you fix a broken cover? He saw her face soften as the question shifted from a moral to an immoral technical one. Well, I should be able to salvage the leather cover of the first volume, the cover and spine are torn, but I can just rip the leather off and replace the cover. As she spoke, she took a thin, flat spatula tool from the jar and began peeling off the marbled paper that held the leather cover together.She moved carefully, and Quesetti watched with pleasure as her tiny hands performed the task, until the kitchen timer he had just set sounded to remind him to change the paper towels between the pages.When he finished changing the tissues, he found that she had removed the leather cover. Under the cover, between the leather and the damaged cardboard, there were several damp papers with several lines of carefully handwritten writing on them.She put down the papers, picked up the leather, and looked up at the light coming in from the window. What are these papers?As he asked, he casually separated the damp papers, which were covered in faded black ink on both sides. It should only be used for stuffing. The binder uses waste paper to stuff the cover, and it can also prevent the leather from rubbing against the cardboard inside. What language is written on this paper? Probably in English.Just some old scrap paper. It doesn't look like English, which I can read unless the person's handwriting is really bad. She carefully took the paper from him and stared at it carefully: it was interesting, it looked like the cursive script of King James I's reign. What? I mean, I'm no paleographer, but the typeface doesn't look like it was published in the same year as the book, it seems to be much earlier than 1732.interesting. What!Had someone hidden an old manuscript inside the cover? No, of course not.Bookbinders often line the cardboard with scrap paper, of any kind.However, the modern method is usually to stuff some waste pages of the trial version or unused propaganda posters.Not ancient manuscripts. Why are they doing this?I mean, an ancient manuscript should be worth a lot in itself, shouldn't it? No, ancient manuscripts have not been noticed until very recently.Many original manuscripts have long since been salvaged for typesetting, or else made into pulp, used to light fires, or lined on baking sheets.Only a few antiquarians know the importance of preserving ancient artefacts, and most think they are crazy.So that's why the early manuscripts that have survived to modern times are all legal or financial records, and the previous literary manuscripts had no value at all. So maybe this document is worth a lot now. I'm not sure, it depends on the content and of course who wrote it.She held the paper up to the light: Oh, I see, this paper is a printer's manuscript, with pencil corrections on it, it's very interesting, then this is a book, maybe to help John.Printed by the same person who printed Churchill's works in Wausau.She removed the weight on the first volume and opened the book, looking at the publications, Peter.It's time for Dean to change his blotting paper. After changing the tissue, Quesetti asked again: Aren't you curious about the manuscript of this book?If the author is a famous person, such as the poet John.Donne, John who wrote Paradise Lost.Milton, or Daniel Robinson Crusoe.Defoe?If it's a famous autograph like that, it's worth a lot of money, isn't it? Probably the Meditations of an unknown priest, recording his thoughts on the Epistles of the New Testament. But we're not sure.Do you want to just open the other covers and have a look? It's going to take more work, I'll have to keep working on the fixes, and we're short on time. We have time now, he said: too much time to watch books dry.Well, just do me a favor and open the other covers, I'm doing you a favor drying the book. She gave him a cold look from her blue eyes, and he thought she had seen through what he was up to.as long as you are happy.After speaking, she picked up her small spatula. An hour later, Quesega looked happily at the papers that had been retrieved from under the covers, like fresh laundry hanging on a line.These wet folios line the covers of six volumes, with four under each cover, for a total of forty-eight pages.He didn't know why, although he was participating in Luo Li's fraudulent activities at the moment, he seemed to feel more relaxed after discovering these manuscripts that had been out of sight for two and a half centuries.He was also surprised that he dared to order her to help him open the cover and take out the manuscript.Thinking of this, he really hoped that these papers could have some historical or literary significance.He suppressed his anxiety, and waited until the papers were dry enough before picking them up to study. At the same time, the absorbent paper towels inside the book must be changed every hour.She corrected it a few times at first, and then, knowing that he could get it right, she seemed content to let him do it.The point is not to rush, she explained, if too many tissues are stuffed in at once, or if the absorbent tissues are not placed at strict ten-page intervals in the book, the pages will dry too quickly and swell and burst book.At around six o'clock in the evening, Quesetti said he was hungry, but found that the only food in her house was some old ramen noodles.Now he could understand why she often went to lunch with Glaser.Quesetti ran out, braved the treacherous streets of Red Bend, and brought back bottles of Mondavi and a large pizza. you buy wine?When he came in and put the bag on the table she said: I never buy wine. No, you can drink. Yes, you are very kind, thank you.The little wolf smiled again, for the second time. In the dinner table conversation between the two, they couldn't find any common hobbies to talk about.Quesetti didn't have much interest in the book itself, while Luo Li didn't have much feeling for contemporary movies, so the topic of the conversation had to revolve around the boss, not to mention Quesetti was very curious about the old man. Once again, she was also willing to provide information, especially when the red wine started to work.He liked to watch her eat: gobble it up, as if someone was going to grab the food.She eats until there are no crumbs left of the pizza crust, and then licks her fingers as she continues to tell what she knows.As the story goes, Glaser was originally a collector before moving into the business of buying and selling old and rare books (a development that is not uncommon).His family made their fortune in department stores two generations ago, and he grew up in upper-middle-class Manhattan.The Glasers had intellectual vanity, opera in the box, concert tickets, fashionable European travel, among other luxuries, and once had a large library.As time went by, the ancestral department store was merged by large companies, the money earned was not properly invested, and the inheritance was divided among the numerous descendants. By the end of the 1970s, Sidney.Glaser turned his hobby into a livelihood. According to Rollie, he wasn't very fit for business; Quesetti retorted that the store seemed to be doing well, with a good selection of books. That's the problem.他根本沒有生意買賣的頭腦，像那套麥肯尼與赫爾的《北美印地安部落史》，他花了十五萬買入，但這種投資是屬於博曼或蘇富比拍賣公司和其他那些大咖才有的手法，葛雷瑟又不是這種人。他只擁有富貴的衣裝和氣質，可是一點資源或眼光都沒有。像他那種等級的咖，應該花兩百塊去挑選千把塊的書，而不是花八萬九千五買十萬元的書，況且房東還要提高店面租金，這樣就已經耗掉每個月一半的平均利潤了我是說帳面上的利潤我懷疑他已經好幾年都沒有真的賺錢了。書籍生意裡常見這種故事：有錢的收藏家想說，我買了一大堆書，何不把賺來的錢投資在我的嗜好呢？ 這樣做能成功嗎？ 有時候會，不過就像我剛剛說的，你得認清楚自己的等級，然後向上發展。你不能妄想一開始就從富有收藏家那樣的等級開始賣東西，除非你願意把自己的錢投入這行，但那樣就不是真正的生意了，不是嗎？那就變成一項花費高昂的喜好，還有點矯柔做作。在精美的鑲木店面當個紐約東城古董商這種形象，完全已經過時了。葛雷瑟絕不可能兼顧店面租金，另一方面還要跟網路郵購商、著名連鎖書店競爭。葛雷瑟正在走下坡。昨天那把火真是發生在他身上最好的事，他可以選幾十件物品騙保險公司，申報全損，然後把書賣個好價錢，這樣他可以賺一點營運資金，不過也撐不了太久 妳認為是他放的火嗎？ impossible.他是個愛書人，絕對不可能故意損毀書籍。你也看到了，他為了那套邱吉爾的書都快哭了。但是既然真有那場火災，他當然會盡可能得到最大的利益。 跟妳一樣。 她瞇眼看他，對，跟我一樣，但是我至少有個理由，因為我不住在公園大道上有十八個房間的公寓，我需要錢。她倒了點酒，吞了一口，接著說：那你呢，奎塞提？如果你發現那些晾乾的紙是約翰．洛克為邱吉爾寫序的親筆手稿，你會怎麼做？拿去給葛雷瑟說，噢，老闆，看看我發現了什麼，這東西你可以出價一萬元賣給威得恩大學圖書館，拍拍我的頭獎勵一下吧？ 不可能是洛克親筆的筆跡。妳不是說這是詹姆斯一世時期的書寫體嗎？ 喔，現在你也變成文人了？我以為你是個電腦宅男兼影痴。 我也有看圖書目錄好嗎？ 噢，好吧，但你不看書，你根本就不喜歡書，對吧？ 我還挺喜歡的。他在昏黃的燈光下仔細觀察，發現她下巴有點上揚的角度，像在挑釁敵人的進攻。他之前都沒發現，她臉上還隱約有點不甘心的表情。 妳該不會在發酒瘋吧，羅莉？ 我想發酒瘋我就會發酒瘋。這裡是我家。 對啦，不過我不用留在這裡。我找到的那些紙張看起來乾得差不多了，我可以把它們拿走，然後讓妳自己每個小時幫妳的書籍寶寶換尿布，忙上一整夜。 而且他也真的打算這麼做。沒想到他的話一講完，她突然開始哭泣，是那種悲慘絕望的嚎啕大哭。像艾伯特．奎塞提這樣的紳士，當然會走過去跪在她椅子旁邊抱住她，讓她的淚水溼透他的肩膀。 布瑞斯葛斗的第二封信 開始動筆之前，我一定會祈求全能的上帝使我走在誠實的道路上，祂知道我就像伊甸園裡亞當剛被創造出來的時候那樣誠實。或許我以前曾經對妳提起一部分的事情，或許妳已經忘了，又或者妳在孩子懂事之前就已經死去（上帝啊，千萬不要！），所以我最好還是寫下來。 我父親也叫理查，布瑞斯葛斗這一家人來自威德郡提曲菲德，從以前開始就是鐵匠。我父親因為不是長子，於是被送去林登霍爾的約翰叔叔家當鐵匠學徒，學徒訓練結束後，父親搬到費許街和芬曲奇街的路口開始自立門户當鐵匠，生意欣欣向榮，因為父親有老家的人脈，也有生意頭腦。他是個嚴肅認真的人，沒讀過什麼書但是有點聰明，二十二歲的時候蒙上帝的恩典，在華特街的阿本那西牧師主持下受洗成為基督徒，從此清清白白過日子。他是個慷慨的基督徒，要是有可憐的人願意聽聽上帝的話語，到他家都會得到食物，不過他還是受不了那些臭天主教徒。雖然他也製造普通的桶子壺子，但主要還是打造鐘和火炮，他常說，要是有誰想要更響亮的聲音，就得來找費許街的布瑞斯葛斗。 我母親叫做路欣達，她家來自華威克郡，因為是當地的望族又和雅頓男爵有親戚關係，比父親的家庭階級高一層，不過父親總是說那可是很遠的親戚關係。她的父親湯馬斯．雅頓，在伊麗莎白女王統治第十年的時候被判了叛國罪，家產全部充公，之後她母親去世，她當時才八歲。她們家在奇普賽德有個姑姑叫瑪格麗特．布蘭戴爾，便過去把她帶走。媽媽是個漂亮的女孩，家鄉也有不少男孩子追求，但是因為家裡沒錢又失去了公民權利，所以沒人想娶她，不然其實她是很想離開姑姑家的。我媽媽說那位姑姑信仰非常虔誠，但餐桌上沒什麼東西好吃，身上還有臭味。有一天她在父親店裡買了個壁爐牆壁的擋火板，十二個月後就和他在奇普賽德的聖吉爾教堂結婚。她一開始不信教，但後來就信了，因為聖經上說男人是女人的頭腦。 在許多熱切的祈禱之後，我在一五九〇年的三月五日誕生。父母親前三個孩子都因熱病夭折，他們不解上帝為何有這樣的安排，但據他們說，我強壯得像牛一樣，在上帝的恩典下長大成人。後來我母親又生了三個孩子，一個活到六歲，但其他的都撐不過一年，只剩我一個長大成人。四歲的時候，父母送我去鎮上的學校唸書學習寫字，之後父親送我去狄爾街的愛丁頓先生那兒上學，他開了間學校，父親希望把我栽培成一個有學問的人，但沒有成功。我承認我根本不想學拉丁文，更別說希臘文了，動詞變化對我來說是一團混亂。有一次我問愛丁頓先生，既然我們有了英文的聖經，為什麼還要學這些異教徒的語言呢？但是下場就是我被打了好幾下，最後他告訴我父親我沒救了，生下來就是個呆瓜，無可救藥。父親說我們該拿你怎麼辦才好，上帝為什麼送給他這麼一個呆頭呆腦的兒子，你還有什麼長處呢？但願上帝賜給你一雙巧手。所以我就被派去抄寫，但是手很拙，而且把紙張弄出很多汙痕。最後父親真是絕望了，他說那你只好當鐵匠了，靠勞力養活自己，你的背很強壯，而且手也已經弄得漆黑了。我媽媽聽到就哭了，她是世上最愛孩子的媽媽，對我好的不得了，但她越是這樣，父親對我越是不滿意。 但發生了一件事情，改變了這一切。上帝為我們這些凡人安排的道路是多麼奇妙，只是我們當下總是無法領略。那時候我們有個房客叫溫克先生，他是從倫敦來的，他的叔权是和父親有鐵器生意往來的朋友，我們在父親的店裡肩併肩工作。有一天我看到溫克先生用一枝鉛筆和筆記本在工作，我問他在幹嘛，他叫我仔細看，我盯著卻看不懂，後來我懂了：他在用一種我從沒見過的方法計算帳户的總數，他很好心教我：你看，我們這季以八先令六便士的價格賣出了七十八頭牛，每頭牛獲利一先令三便士，那我們總共賺了多少錢呢？我說我們得用計數器，要不要我去拿板子？他說不用，我們不用計數器就可以算出來了，你看著我寫，我再來解釋方法。所以他就開始計算，我看到他的鉛筆飛舞，精確算出收入和淨利，感到非常驚異。他說這叫做多次進位法，這個詞我從來都沒聽過，他說這只是算術的一小部分，荷蘭和義大利的銀行和帳務部門，近來都是用這套方法在運算的，小夥子，要是你學這個可有很多好處，願不願意學呢？我滿心歡喜答應了。