Books › The reminiscences of a fiddle dealer, 1925 › scan 63
Scan 63
The reminiscences of a fiddle dealer, 1925
8 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 39. See the scan on archive.org.
1Who was the Maker?
3a very sharp man of business, pinned him down to the oft-repeated phrase, adding that he had told everyone who was to be the purchaser, and no further objections on that score could hold.
5The intending purchaser, however, as a next step in the negotiations, made an entirely unexpected demand of M. Baillot. "Very well," said he, "be it so, let 30,000 francs be the price; but you must give me along with the violin a certificate as to its authenticity from the best authority in Paris, and that is M. Gand." "Oh, certainly, if you exact it I will at once get a certificate and send it to you. M. Gand knows the violin well as did his father before him, so he won't require to see it again. You may just take it with you." But this the young man would not do, saying that he preferred everything should be settled before he took possession.
7M. Baillot therefore called on M. Gand at the earliest possible moment, not troubling to take the violin with him, and explained what he wanted; but here again he was disappointed. M. Gand said he would give the certificate with pleasure but would like first to see the violin again as it was many years since he had seen it and, as he was only a pupil of M. Baillot père at the time, he had not examined it. As a matter of fact he was not then in his present business and had taken very little interest in the make of instruments. On the death of his elder brother, however, he had to give up
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