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Tight comer is a difficult situation. When one finds oneself in a tight comer, one worries and thinks seriously about the ways of getting out of it.

The author was confident that he couldn’t run any risks by a playful participation in the auction. So, he ignored his friend’s warning.

The author decided to bid safely by just raising the stake a little bit and leave it for real millionaires to go ahead. Thus he was sure that he would not be caught.

(iv) a French school of painting

Christie Auction house was full. The auction house was selling Barbizon pictures and getting tremendous sums for each. Some were sold for two thousand and some for three thousand pounds. It was surprising to observe that all the sold items were little bit of things like forest scenes, pools at evening, shepherdesses and the regular subjects.

(iii) was persuaded by his friend

The author behaved like a gambler. He risked high banking on serendipity alone. In reality, he should have a minimum balance of 500 pounds in his bank account to be eligible to be a bidder in the auction. But he had only sixty three pounds. He didn’t have rich acquaintances or relatives who could bail him out-of a financial crisis of such a serious nature at a short notice. So, the author’s participation in the auction in a high handed manner demonstrates his audacity combined with absurdity.

(i) difficult situation

Although many bids ended up in four figures, they were started with a modest price of fifty to hundred guineas only. He ventured till the figures reached.only upto three digits. Thus he managed the auction without getting involved in the deal.

The author’s friend only persuaded him to go to Christie’s auction. Secondly, he was the only witness to the author ’s mental agony in trying to get out of the crisis.

Unlike previous lots, one painting’s launch price was four thousand pounds. When, the millionaires were too stunned to react, the author had sheepishly said “and fifty”. The auctioneer clinched the deal in the author’s favour. This was a rude shock to the author because he did not wish to buy any painting.” .

The author should have been grateful for the stranger’s offer to bail him out of potential insolvency. He could have embraced him and even accepted fifty farthings for restoring him from a mental agony. But he asked the mediator if that was the most he could offer. This was . nothing but wordly guile. The man offered to find out saying there was no harm trying for a bit more. The author gave his ultimatum that he would take a hundred. He got a cheque for hundred guineas.

The falling of the hammer indicated “closure of the bid” and it mandated the highest bidder to pay and collect his purchase.

The man who approached the author wore a green baize apron and spoke in a husky cockney tones. He had come to find out if he would accept the offer of fifty guineas for his expression of interest for Daubigny.

The narrator visited Christie’s to watch the process of auctioning.

The author’s friend realized that he had got into a pickle and there was no possible escape. Looking.at the crisis from outside made him laugh heartily.

The author’s friend was so much tickled by the comedy of the situation that he deserted the author for a second time to have a hearty laugh alone.

The narrator heard his voice saying “and fifty”. This suggested that he offered to buy the painting by paying four thousand fifty guineas.

The author had made many bids in a low margin and got escaped. But he got trapped by saying “and fifty” when a picture was put up for sale with a starting price of 4000 guineas. No one else raised the stake. The auctioner rang the bell and the author realized with alarm how on earth he could ever raise that much money. He thought he could find a firing party to shoot him down. Death is better than public disgrace.

The author speculated on the possibility of confessing his poverty to one of Christie ’s staff and request to put up the picture for sale once again.

The narrator had just sixty three pounds in his bank account. The tragic fact was that he did not even have 500 pounds which was the security deposit to be eligible to bid for the paintings.

The narrator had made bids for many paintings. Now he could not confess his poverty. So, he could not pretend tahave made a genuine mistake.