There was a silence of some moments and then Lascelles languidly inquired how one learnt magic these days?

“From books,” said Strange.

“Ah, sir!” cried Mr Norrell. “How glad I am to hear you say so! Waste no time, I implore you, in pursuing any other course, but apply yourself constantly to reading! No sacrifice of time or pleasure can ever be too great!”

Strange regarded Mr Norrell somewhat ironically and then remarked, “Unfortunately lack of books has always been a great obstacle. I dare say you have no conception, sir, how few books of magic there are left in circulation in England. All the booksellers agree that a few years ago there were a great many, but now …”

“Indeed?” interrupted Mr Norrell, hurriedly. “Well, that is very odd to be sure.”

The silence which followed was peculiarly awkward. Here sat the only two English magicians of the Modern Age. One confessed he had no books; the other, as was well known, had two great libraries stuffed with them. Mere common politeness seemed to dictate that Mr Norrell make some offer of help, however slight; but Mr Norrell said nothing.

“It must have been a very curious circumstance,” said Mr Lascelles after a while, “that made you chuse to be a magician.”

“It was,” said Strange. “Most curious.”

“Will you not tell us what that circumstance was?”

Strange smiled maliciously. “I am sure that it will give Mr Norrell great pleasure to know that he was the cause of my becoming a magician. One might say in fact that Mr Norrell made me a magician.”

“I?” cried Mr Norrell, quite horrified.

“The truth is, sir,” said Arabella Strange quickly, “that he had tried everything else – farming, poetry, iron-founding. In the course of a year he ran through a whole variety of occupations without settling to any of them. He was bound to come to magic sooner or later.”

There was another silence, then Strange said, “I had not understood before that Lord Portishead wrote at your behest, sir. Perhaps you will be so good as to explain something to me. I have read all of his lordship’s essays in The Friends of English Magic and The Modern Magician but have yet to see any mention of the Raven King. The omission is so striking that I am beginning to think it must be deliberate.”

Mr Norrell nodded. “It is one of my ambitions to make that man as completely forgotten as he deserves,” he said.

“But surely, sir, without the Raven King there would be no magic and no magicians?”

“That is the common opinion, certainly. But even it were true – which I am very far from allowing – he has long since forfeited any entitlement to our esteem. For what were his first actions upon coming into England? To make war upon England’s lawful King and rob him of half his kingdom! And shall you and I, Mr Strange, let it be known that we have chosen such a man as our model? That we account him the first among us? Will that make our profession respected? Will that persuade the King’s ministers to put their trust in us? I do not think so! No, Mr Strange, if we cannot make his name forgotten, then it is our duty – yours and mine – to broadcast our hatred of him! To let it be known everywhere our great abhorrence of his corrupt nature and evil deeds!”