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And if that wasn't bizarre enough, they are all unique on top of it all. Your immediate thought is that there is something more to these brass lemons than meets the eye, but none of them are hollow – at least, as best as you can figure – and there is nothing suspect about or around the shelf you found them on. You are so thrown by the lemons that you end up double checking for compartments or gimmicks – but when none crop up, you continue on. The next set of book-shelves has a lot of empty spots; you are absolutely certain that your father pruned things off of this one. One curio remains, however – an antler, that has been carved with geometric designs and has had its based capped in brass or bronze. Moving on, you find that there are a set of four scrimshaw on the next set of shelves, each one depicting a part of Scrimshaw Mount – the Promontory, the Chip and Cleanport. Tellingly, there is no tooth for Stickport … or perhaps your father made off with it. After making sure that you haven't overlooked anything, you move on to the next set of book-shelves, where almost immediately you turn up a battered wooden box of carving and whittling implements – and six immaculate Spermaceti teeth! As you continue casing and clearing shelves, your thoughts keep drifting back to the box. It is such a small, silly thing … but wouldn't it be nice to make something to remember the Mount by? Of course, even if everything goes perfectly with your escape, it will probably be a fortnight before you have any time to yourself that you don't spend asleep. Maybe even longer. Still … the thought is a pleasant little fantasy, and it buoys your mood as you work your way around the room – at least until you get to the bookcase with the Not-Compendiums.
But your good mood is revived when at the next set of book-shelves, you find a lacquered wooden box. You aren't entirely sure what to expect, but you are more than just pleased when you find inside is a pair of inquiring-eyes! Their frame proves to be more than a little tight once you put them on, and it takes you a good minute to figure out how to operate the rings and selectors without being able to look at them while you fumble over them, but before overlong you are able to get the eyes working, and are rewarded with incredible close-in views! You never thought that the cuticle of your right thumb's nail could ever be so fascinating, but you have to force yourself to stop looking at it. Continuing through the remaining book-shelves and then the rest of the room, you turn up two more wrought silver candlesticks, three dozen lovingly painted cameos of native and exotic plants, as well as a dozen flowers that have been pressed and framed – and no secret hiding spots.
