THE PEDIGREE OF THE FANCY. 27 



the door in their face. It was found amongst 

 the ruins of the Tower of Babel by an enter- 

 prising excursionist, who travelled in one of 

 Cook's personally-conducted parties. Accord- 

 ing to tradition, this picture hung in Mrs. Noah's 

 boudoir when the patriarch took his spouse and 

 family a forty days' cruise round the globe. The 

 remainder of the history attached to this precious 

 treasure is shrouded in obscurity. However, this 

 much is quite sufficient to set a friend of mine 

 itching to buy it. If with solemn countenance 

 you could rehearse to him the pedigree, he would 

 rise greedily to the bait. You hook your inno- 

 cent by the nose and make him come down 

 heavily to possess the ancient miracle of art. 

 He has a mania for old masters. If curiosity 

 hunters squandered ^17,5 n three small and 

 useless articles of furniture from the Hamilton 

 Palace collection because they once were the 

 property of Marie Antoinette, what would they 

 not pay for a feather out of the angel Gabriel's 

 wing, the apron of fig-leaves that Adam sewed 

 together in Eden, the bullet that killed Presi- 

 dent Garfield, the hemp rope that Marwood, late 

 Crown Officer, used whilst conducting his pro- 

 fessional engagements ! Fashionable taste is ridi- 

 culous. It worships the stupid and the sense- 



