In the beginning of the twentieth century you could not see the ground for clever men. They were so common that a stupid man was quite exceptional, and when they found him they followed him in crowds down the street and treasured him and gave him some high post in the State.
-The Napoleon of Notting Hill (1904)
That makes perfect sense! Now I get it! :)
ReplyDeleteHeh. :-)
ReplyDeleteJust reread NoNH! Such an amazing story. The whole thing is magnificent but the beginning and end are truly amazing. :-) I like to think of myself as playing Cheat the Prophet (I am, I suppose, rustic like a Shropshireman, in some sense..).
ReplyDeleteHeh. Yes, I agree with you there about NoNH. :-) Though it's been a while since I've read it all the way through....I suppose I need to re-read it.
ReplyDelete