Don't Believe A Word-Thin Lizzy

[00:01.380]A happy discovery [00:01.70]Lesson 34 [00:01.930]What was the 'happy discovery'? [00:02.850]Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people [00:08.760]The more expensive kind of antique shop [00:11.870]where rare objects are beautifully displayed in glass cases [00:15.170]to keep them free from dust is usually a forbidding place. [00:19.220]But no one has to muster up courage to enter a less pretentious antique shop. [00:24.400]There is always hope that in its labyrinth of musty,dark,disordered rooms [00:28.550]a real rarity will be found amongst the piles of assorted junk that litter the floors [00:35.110]No one discovers a rarity by chance. [00:37.810]A truly dedicated bargain hunter must have patience, [00:41.520]and above all,the ability to recognize the worth of something when he sees it. [00:48.680]To do this,he must be at least as knowledgeable as the dealer. [00:53.580]Like a scientist bent on making a discovery, [00:55.860]he must cherish the hope that one day he will be amply rewarded. [01:00.20]My old friend,Frank Halliday,is just such a person. [01:05.120]He has often described to me how he picked up a masterpiece for a mere `50. [01:10.940]One Saturday morning,Frank visited an antique shop in my neighbourhood. [01:17.190]As he had never been there before,he found a great deal to interest him. [01:21.410]The morning passed rapidly and Frankwas about to leave [01:24.920]when he noticed a large packing case lying on the floor. [01:28.620]The dealer told him that it had just come in, [01:31.930]but that he could not be bothered to open it. [01:34.600]Frank begged him to do so and the dealer reluctantly prised it open. [01:38.110]The contents were disappointing. [01:40.310]Apart from an interesting-looking carved dagger, [01:43.460]the box was full of crockery,much of it broken. [01:46.770]Frank gently lifted the crockery out of the box [01:50.590]and suddenly noticed a miniature painting at the bottom of the packing case. [01:54.660]As its composition and line reminded him of an Italian painting he knew well, [01:59.310]he decided to buy it. [02:01.710]Glancing at it briefly the dealer told him that it was worth `50. [02:06.330]Frank could hardly conceal his excitement, [02:08.840]for he knew that he had made a real discovery. [02:12.340]The tiny painting proved to be an unknown masterpiece by Correggio [02:15.960]and was worth hundreds and thousands of pounds.