"However picturesquely they may be drawn, the lines are invariably those of nature.

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There can be no doubt that the larger part, and possibly the whole of the work, is a narrative of actual occurrences." Here, then, is the heart of the mystery, or of the mystery that is apparent; the phenomenon is due primarily to the fact that Borrow's book is so abnormally true as regards the matter, while in manner of presentation it is so strikingly original.