2 7 



Mr. Jones can be as strict on some occasions as he is 

 lax on others. While his favourites are irregularly pro- 

 moted, less favoured mortals are treated with the utmost 

 rigour of the law. A case : Mr. Berridge, about thirty- 

 eight years of age, was long an attendant in the Reading- 

 Room, and afterwards in the Copyright Office. Quite 

 a linguist, he was of invaluable assistance to foreigners. 

 Greatly overworked, he had, besides, to sit in the News- 

 paper Room down stairs. When he was proposed for 

 promotion by the late Mr. Watts, the answer of Mr. Jones 

 was, " He is a fortnight too old." This broke the poor 

 man down : he slowly declined in health, and now is in a 

 dying state. A fortnight too old ! Can Mr. Jones truly say 

 that he has investigated the birth — let us say, of Messrs. 

 Fagan brothers with such minuteness as this ? 



We must, however, admit that not in every case is the- 

 kind of scheming of which we have spoken successful. 

 An amusing instance was, some time ago, afforded in Mr. 

 Rye's department. Mr. Rye's work has always been 

 largely done by an able assistant, Mr. Graves (godson of 

 Mr. Jones). To recompense Mr. Graves, Messrs. Jones 

 and Rye proposed to the Trustees to create a new assis- 

 • tant keepership for him. The Printed Book Department 

 had then but two assistant keepers, Mr. Bullen and Mr* 

 Porter. But there was a difficulty. Mr. Graves was not the 

 senior in rank. He had still over him two assistants, Mr, 

 Roy and Mr. Ralston. The latter gentleman made a 

 vehement protest and disturbed the arrangement ; and, as 

 the matter of the assistant keepership had gone very far, 

 the office was created, and was given to the senior assis- 

 tant, Mr. Roy (the honest and well-meaning official who 

 conducted me through the Den), and who never expected 

 this piece of good luck. So, then, now we have Mr. Rye, 



