[242]
the air of observation, but not of curiosity.
By and by M. Charpentier came in. He began panegyrizing “Uncle Tom,” and this led to a discussion of the ground of its unprecedented success.
In his thirty-five years experience as a bookseller, he had known nothing like it. It surpassed all modern writings!
At first he would not read it; his taste was for old masters of a century or two ago. “ Like M. Belloc in painting,” said I.
At length he found his friend M., the first intelligence of the age, reading it.
“What, you, too?”
said he.
“ Ah, ah!”
replied the friend; “say nothing about this book!
There is nothing like it. This leaves us all behind,--all, all, miles behind!”
M. Belloc said the reason was because there was in it more genuine faith than in any book; and we branched off into florid eloquence touching paganism, Christianity, and art.
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