206 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



not in when Audubon and his son, Victor, called upon 

 him, but "soon a corpulent man appeared, hitching up 

 his trousers, and a face red with the exertion of walk- 

 ing, and without noticing any one present, dropped his 

 fat body into a comfortable chair, as if caring for no one 

 else in this wide world but himself." When Audubon 

 presented his credentials, the banker asked: "Is this a 

 letter of business, or is it a mere letter of introduction?' ' 

 As Audubon had not read the letter, he was obliged to 

 answer rather awkwardly that he could not tell. "The 

 banker then opened the letter, read it with the manner 

 of one who was looking only at the temporal side of 

 things, and after reading it said, 'This is only a letter of 

 introduction, and I expect from its contents that you are 

 the publisher of some book or other and need my sub- 

 scription.' ' Audubon continues : 



Had a man the size of a mountain spoken to me in that 

 arrogant style in America I should have indignantly resented 

 it; but where I then was it seemed best to swallow and digest 

 it as well as I could. So in reply ... I said I should be 

 honored by his subscription to the "Birds of America." "Sir," 

 he said, "I never sign my name to any subscription list, but 

 you may send in your work and I will pay for a copy of it. 

 Gentlemen, I am busy, I wish you good morning." We were 

 busy men, too, and so bowing respectfully, we retired, pretty 

 well satisfied with the small slice of his opulence which our 

 labor was likely to obtain. 



A few days afterwards I sent the first volume of my work 

 half bound, and all the numbers besides, then published. On 

 seeing them we were told that he ordered the bearer to take 

 them to his house, which was done directly. Number after 

 number was sent and delivered to the Baron, and after eight 

 or ten months my son made out his account and sent it by 

 Mr. Havell, my engraver, to his banking-house. The Baron 

 looked at it with amazement, and cried out, "What, a hundred 



