TheMS。wascopiedonvellumbyNicholasJarry，thegreatcalligraphofhistime。TheflowersonthemarginwerepaintedbyRobert。NotlongagoaFrenchamateurwassoluckyastodiscovertheMS。bookofprayersofJulie’snoblemother，theMarquisedeRambouillet。
TheMarquisewrotetheseprayersforherowndevotions，andJarry，theilluminator，declaredthathefoundthemmostedifying，anddelightfultostudy。ThemanuscriptiswrittenonvellumbythefamousJarry，containsaportraitofthefairJulieherself，andisboundinmoroccobyLeGascon。Thehappycollectorwhopossessesthevolumenow，heardvaguelythatamanuscriptofsomeinterestwasbeingexposedforsaleatatriflingpriceintheshopofacountrybookseller。Thedescriptionofthebook，casualasitwas，madementionofthemonogramonthecover。Thiswasenoughfortheamateur。Herushedtoarailwaystation，travelledsomethreehundredmiles，reachedthecountrytown，hastenedtothebookseller’sshop，andfoundthatthebookhadbeenwithdrawnbyitsowner。Happilythepossessor，unconsciousofhisbliss，wasathome。Theamateursoughthimout，paidthesmallsumdemanded，andreturnedtoParisintriumph。Thus，evenintheregionofmanuscript-collecting，thereareextraordinaryprizesfortheintelligentcollector。
TOKNOWIFAMANUSCRIPTISPERFECT
IfthemanuscriptisofEnglishorFrenchwritingofthetwelfth，thirteenth，fourteenth，orfifteenthcenturies，itisprobablyeither——（1）aBible，（2）aPsalter，（3）abookofHours，or（4），butrarely，aMissal。Itisnotworthwhiletogivethecollationofagradual，orahymnal，oraprocessional，orabreviary，oranyofthefiftydifferentkindsofservice-bookswhichareoccasionallymetwith，butwhicharenevertwicethesame。
Tocollateoneofthem，thereadermustgocarefullythroughthebook，seeingthatthecatch-words，ifthereareany，answertotheheadlines;andifthereare\"signatures，\"thatis，ifthefootoftheleavesofasheetofparchmenthasanymarkforenablingthebinderto\"gather\"themcorrectly，goingthroughthem，andseeingthateachsignedleafhasitscorresponding\"blank。\"