Shop Fittings

what does this excerpt from a book meen?

The old counter, shelves, and other fixtures of the little shop remained just as he had left them. It used to be affirmed, that the dead shop-keeper, in a white wig, a faded velvet coat, an apron at his waist, and his ruffles carefully turned back from his wrists, might be seen through the chinks of the shutters, any night of the year, ransacking his till, or poring over the dingy pages of his day-book. From the look of unutterable woe upon his face, it appeared to be his doom to spend eternity in a vain effort to make his accounts balance.—Ch. 1 from The House of Seven Gables by Nathanie Hawthorne

Public Comments

1. Caitlyn, It just means a small paragraph from a novel or short story used to make a point or to instruct in some way. Sometimes they do this to give a potential buyer an idea of how good the book will be.