The old neglected billiard--room was soon put in order, and Dick, who was
a magnificent player, had a series of games with his uncle, in which,
singularly enough, he was beaten, though his antagonist had been out of
play for years. He evinced a profound interest in the family history,
insisted on having the details of its early alliances, and professed a
great pride in it, which he had inherited from his father, who, though he
had allied himself with the daughter of an alien race, had yet chosen one
with the real azure blood in her veins, as proud as if she had Castile
and Aragon for her dower and the Cid for her grand-papa. He also asked a
great deal of advice, such as inexperienced young persons are in need of,
and listened to it with due reverence.
It is not very strange that uncle Dudley took a kinder view of his nephew
than the Judge, who thought he could read a questionable history in his
face,--or the old Doctor, who knew men's temperaments and organizations
pretty well, and had his prejudices about races, and could tell an old
sword-cut and a ballet-mark in two seconds from a scar got by falling
against the fender, or a mark left by king's evil.
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