"Thank you, General; I feel awkward over my errand here," hesitating; "I wanted to see a lawyer in his office, with his books and papers, and be permitted to look, especially at his books." "You are entirely welcome. I am not much of a lawyer, and have but a few books, but nothing would give me more pleasure than to have you examine them." "I may annoy you." "Not at all. I've not much to do. Take a seat." Bart did so. He found the General, whom he had only seen at a distance on muster days, a man of the ordinary height, with heavy shoulders, with a little stoop in them, a very fine head and face, and a clear, strong, grayish, hazel eye; and, on the whole, striking in his appearance. There were files of leading newspapers, the _National Intelligencer, Ohio State Journal, Courier and Inquirer_, etc. These did not so much attract the young man's attention; but, approaching a large book-case, filled compactly with dull yellow books, uniform in their dingy, leathery appearance, he asked: "Are these law-books?" "Yes, those are law-books." "And these, then, are the occult cabalistical books, full of darkness and quirks and queer terms, in which is hidden away, somewhere, a rule or twist or turn that will help the wrong side of every case?" "So people seem to think," said the General, smiling. "Does a student have to read all of these?" "Oh, no, not to exceed a dozen or fourteen." "A-h-h-h! not more than that? Will you show me some of them?" "Certainly. There, this is Blackstone, four volumes, which covers the whole field of the law; all the other elementary writers are only amplifications of the various titles or heads of Blackstone." "Indeed! only four volumes! Can one be a lawyer by reading Blackstone?" "A thorough mastery of it is an admirable foundation of a good lawyer." "How long is it expected that an ordinary dullard would require to master Blackstone?" "Some students do it in four months. I have known one or two to do it in three. They oftener require six, and some a year." Bart could hardly repress his astonishment. "Four months! a month to one of these books!" running them over. "They have some notes, I see; but, General, a man should commit it to memory in that time!" The General smiled. "This is an English work; is there an American which answers to Blackstone?" "Yes, Kent's Commentaries, four volumes, which many prefer. I have not got it. Also Swift's work, in two volumes, which does not stand so high. Judge Cowan, of New York, has also written a book of some merit." "Shall I annoy you if I sit down and read Blackstone a little?" "Not at all." He read the title-page, glanced at the American preface, etc., and then plunged in promiscuously. "It has less Latin than I expected. Is it good classical Latin?" A smile. "It is law Latin, and most of it would have puzzled Cicero and Virgil, I fear. Are you a Latin scholar?"