“I may say that it is not a habit to which I am given, my lord,” he answered dryly, “but it will not be hard to convince you. The collection has been valued by more than one expert, and the lowest figure rendered by these gentlemen was a hundred and thirty thousand pounds, and the collection has been added to since then.”
“But what in the name of goodness can be worth all that money? Why, it would take a large gallery to house pictures up to that figure.”
“Certainly. But I may as well explain at once that the whole collection is within these walls. It is in a large safe in my cellars. It consists wholly of coins.”
“Coins!” I bawled delightedly, “then I hope the half of them have her Majesty’s face on them, God bless her. I see what you’re getting at. You mean the old boy was a miser.”
He drew himself back into his chair with an air of offence.
“I am not given to jest on business matters,” he said in his stateliest manner. “No; your uncle was simply one of the first numismatists of the century. His is the finest harvest of ancient coins ever made by any private individual. If you see fit to turn it to its marketable worth, you will create an excitement among collectors unparalleled for the last five decades. And till the catalogues are published, not one of them will have an idea of the treasures they will find listed there.”
“Well, as far as I am concerned, I don’t mind how soon they’re gratified and surprised,” said I; “but I should like to have a look at the lot now, if it’s not seriously inconveniencing you. Can we descend to visit them?” for I itched to view this astounding hoard with my very own eyes.
“Of course, my lord. It would be only natural that you should wish to inspect such an important part of your inheritance. But I have something more to say. It was not in mere zeal for collecting that your uncle had lately travelled so widely. I have another astonishment in store for you—not so entirely agreeable, no doubt, but out of the common, I think I may say absolutely out of the common.”
“Well, as we’re out of the range of coins this time then, I trust it’s nothing less than banknotes,” I answered. “But for goodness sake what is it?” I added impatiently, for his self-important deliberation began to get on my nerves.
He did not suffer himself to be in the slightest degree flurried by my impatience. His sentences, in fact, seemed to gather a yet more leisurely accent as he unfolded his tale.