And so it was with the Dales of Allington.

To them an entail would have been a lock and key and a padded chest; but the old chivalry of their house denied to them the use of such protection.
I have spoken something slightingly of the acquirements and doings of the family; and indeed their acquirements had been few and their doings little.

At Allington, Dale of Allington had always been known as a king.

At Guestwick, the neighbouring market town, he was a great man--to be seen frequently on Saturdays, standing in the market-place, and laying down the law as to barley and oxen among men who knew usually more about barley and oxen than did he.

At Hamersham, the assize town, he was generally in some repute, being a constant grand juror for the county, and a man who paid his way.
But even at Hamersham the glory of the Dales had, at most periods, begun to pale, for they had seldom been widely conspicuous in the county, and had earned no great reputation by their knowledge of jurisprudence in the grand jury room.