Dr Barclay once gave a good lesson to those who apply for such
gratuitous favours for others. He was asked by a certain bookseller to
give a perpetual gratis-ticket for his class to a student then
standing in the shop, who could ill afford to pay the four-guinea fee.
'Most certainly,' said the doctor; 'I can never refuse in such a case.
By the by, Mr ----, I want a few books; will you look them out for me
now?' and the doctor enumerated several standard medical works, which
were produced with great alacrity. He then selected four guineas'
worth from among them, and handed them over to the astonished student,
along with a lecture-ticket, saying: 'Of course, Mr ---- intended
giving you the same value in books which I do in this ticket!' The
bookseller, although a notoriously parsimonious character, had not a
word to say. Dr Barclay took great pride in collecting a library, and
invented the following device as a mark for his books: His initials
were engraved in the centre of an oval, at the top was the sun, with
the motto--'I weary not;' below, was a mountain, with 'I am firm;' and
surrounding all, 'Excel if you can.
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