The Emerald Key - By Christopher Dinsdale Page 0,47
of Celtic and Latin. Most of it would probably seem like nonsense scribbling as the text was often written in code but the penmanship and artwork throughout the pages were outstanding. Have you seen it?”
The old man’s eyes widened. “That was your book?”
Jamie felt a surge of relief. “Yes! You do have it, then!”
Mr. Kessler sat down on his stool in amazement. “I had never seen a book like yours in my entire life! It had the most exquisite penmanship I had ever seen, as if angels themselves had written the passages. It was an indescribable honour to hold such treasure in my unworthy hands. In fact, the term ‘book’ does not do it justice. It was a masterpiece made during the Irish Golden Years of the fifth or sixth century, if I’m not mistaken. Extremely rare; in fact, priceless would be a better word to describe it! I’d seen pictures of the Book of Kells that resides under lock and key in Dublin, Ireland. That might be the only text in the world that comes close to the workmanship I saw in your book.”
Jamie anxiously stepped forward. “May I please see it?”
Mr. Kessler removed his glasses and gave his temples a rub. “Ah, yes. Now there we have a problem. After I bought the masterpiece for a ridiculously low price of a pound from that ignorant and foul-mouthed captain of the Carpathia, I took it to Angus McCall, the head librarian of the Canadian National Library at the parliament building. Together, we sat for hours and gazed in wonder at each and every beautiful page. McCall didn’t hesitate in purchasing it for the National Library. He gave me a hundred pounds for the text, saying it was an absolute steal for the price, and said it would soon become the jewel of the Canadian collection! So that is where your book is residing right now I’m afraid — in the parliament building library.”
Jamie’s face fell. “Do you think Mr. McCall would return it to me?”
“With the proper documentation, I’m sure he will. He is merely a humble librarian, not a private collector. He understands the rights of ownership. But if I were you, I would look after that manuscript a little bit better. I know of collectors who would pay thousands of pounds, if not more, to have a piece like that in their private collection.”
Jamie nodded. “Thank you for your help. Would Mr. McCall still be in the library at this hour?”
The old man chuckled. “Oh no, I think not. Haven’t you heard? There are protests in front of the parliament buildings as we speak. It’s been going on for hours. There’s quite a bit of anger in the crowd, and rumour has it the parliament building might remain closed for days until the matter is resolved.”
Jamie shook his head at his growing dilemma. “Why are the crowds so angry that they would have to close a House of Parliament?”
“You really aren’t from around here, are you? The English-speaking loyalist population in Montreal is furious with the government. Our government wants to compensate those who lost property during the rebellion several years ago.”
“Why is that so controversial?” asked Jamie.
“Because the law that just passed parliament states that those who were directly involved in the rebellion will also be compensated. Citizens loyal to the British crown are furious that their tax money will be spent compensating those who fought against British rule. Fearing violence from the mob, the government sent home all of its government workers, including those in the library.”
Jamie frowned. “I can see why the crowd is angry.”
“It’s certainly a crazy situation,” agreed the bookkeeper. “Being paid for trying to overthrow a government…. Who knows how it’s all going to end? There’s insanity all over Canada right now. If it’s not the anger over new government laws, it’s the irrational resentment towards Irish immigrants.”
“I’ve heard that some want to burn down the quarantine station,” added Jamie.
Mr. Kessler shook his head. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
Mr. Kessler stepped behind his counter. He bent over and picked up a copy of the morning paper. He held it up for his visitors to see while he read the headline out loud.
“Irish Immigrants in Toronto Incarcerated on Quay. Can you believe it? A mob of angry citizens rounded up any and all the Irish they could find in Toronto, recent immigrants or already settled, sick or healthy. Then forced them at gunpoint to gather on the Toronto harbour quay!