Childermass raises his eyebrows at Norrell, a little disbelieving of the situation he has found himself in. "I have not read the book itself," he confesses. "But I know of it, and yes, I have seen it for myself. And I would be very surprised indeed if there had been much thought put into such a work at all, if you will pardon me saying so. There is no magic to its pages, and given its popularity, I should think if someone were to hide a spell within a book one would do it on a novel a bit less... Sensational than such a one, sir."

He crosses his arms across his chest. "I can procure you a copy if you would like, but you would not find anything, nor would you approve of its contents. The book is little more than smut."