Yet for him that great house is crowded with living souls—his antiques, Lovingly he calls them his children. And with them he lives again the days of Louis. XIV., Napoleon, or in the palaces of Chinese emperors. Each piece is so greatly treasured that he will never repeat the experiment he once tried of having a charwoman to clean the rooms. So that no harm shall come to his collection, he prefers to do this work himself, 3
The "monk" of Beaufort-gardens ests his meals on a huge Chippendale table, in the spacious dining-room on the first floor of his house.
Every night he climbs to the top of the house to the chilly, fireless bedroom in which he makes his own bed. But before retiring he goes the rounds of his treasures, In a Chinese imperial red lacquer wardrobe at the foot of his bed is part of the Emperor of Abyssinia's heavily gilt silver table service, which Mr. Nissim bought a year and a half ago. More of it is in his bank, Relatives are concerned about Mr.
Nissim. They would like him to sell his £10,000 house,' or let part of it so that he would have the benefit of humeri company, But Mr. Nissim angrily dismisses these suggestions,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.