Julius Babcock was a man to be feared, a man whose path one simply could not afford to cross. One of the wealthiest financiers in England, he was noted mainly for three things; his shrewdness, his bad temper, and his collection of fine pieces, which included priceless relics. However, his collection would never be complete, he told his friends, until he gained possession of the second of an identical pair of book ends - one of which occupied a place of honor on the desk of his study.