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Gerard was so moved by these words that he couldn't help but kneel to lift the hem of the mendicant friar's robe to his lips, his eyes reddening as if he was on the verge of weeping right there and then.
Seeing this, Winters felt a chill and rolled his eyes involuntarily. He thought to himself, "Well now, if this old charlatan asked Mr. Michel to jump off a cliff, he'd probably do it without hesitation."
Looking at the old charlatan before him, Winters's irritation grew. He asked pointedly, "Brother Reed, the work of a copyist is quite demanding. I fear an elderly man like you couldn't handle it?"