"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!"