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Maryann arrived the next evening just after dark. The moon was 1 day past full and huge on the eastern horizon. I had fixed up the old farm house to look lived in. I had also visited a theatrical supply and obtained a disguise which made me look much older. The room was lit with candles and she failed to recognize me. She oohed and ahhed over the phony materials I had put together. The books were in Latin and the grimoires in archaic English. (That was another reason for the candlelight. I didn't want her to get a very good look at anything.) I told her they had been in the family for centuries and brought to this country by my great, great grandmother in the 1860's. I could hardly bear to part with them, but as she could see by my surroundings I desperately needed the money. Even so, I wanted to make sure they went to someone who would appreciate their value and would cherish them as I had.
Maryann thanked me profusely, paid over the $250 cash and headed for the door. I couldn't believe it. She hadn't questioned anything. She hadn't inquired about the authenticity of the books, tried to examine them under better light, asked who I was or what I was doing out here in this abandoned house, or anything. She didn't even quibble about the price (I should have asked for more).