Jane Austen's Writing Desk and the British Library

This story is rather funny. I haggled Paul and Heidi into going with me to the British Library, that I told them housed Jane Austen's writing desk. It was something I needed to see.

We arrived after a long tube ride from the south side and were quite tired. The building itself was somewhat hard to find, but I managed to ask several kind people who did absolutely no good.

After searching awhile we did find the modernized building and I began to get excited. Heidi tried to calm me down and I told her to leave me alone; that this was me being excited. I was shown to the "sacred room" that kept such works as Shakespeare, John Milton, and the Magna Carta! I couldn't look at anything else until I saw the desk. How hard could it be to find a desk? No desk in sight.

I walked back down to the front desk and Kevin informed me that it must be out on loan. Another librarian quickly added that it was not. I was confused. Kevin sent me back up. I went very slowly through the room. No desk.

This is where it gets fun. I went back down to Kevin, a 50-something year old man with salt and pepper hair. He was nice enough for a British librarian. I smiled and explained there was either no desk or I was blind. He came from around the corner and said "Let's go have a look see," while affixing his chained eye glass to his right eye. I tried not to stare in wonder at the completely British person standing right in front of me with an eye glass discussing Jane Austen's desk. He too walked through the room the same as I and came up empty-handed.
I told him I had traveled all the way from America to see it and that I would have to leave tomorrow. He told me he would not stop until he found it. I quietly said, "Maybe it's been stolen or lost and I'm the first to notice. How terrible that would be."

What are the odds?

As Kevin combed the expansive library, I looked at the Magna Carta and other important works.

Kevin returned with a relieved look on his face to inform me that the desk was actually her writing slope box which was in the case the entire time. We had a good chuckle and he and I went our separate ways. I enjoyed the desk and small glasses resting there.