He could shrug his shoulders and play with his beads, and urbanely explain his own helplessness and ineligibility when his influence was summoned, or it was sought to entangle him in warring interests.

Oriental through and through, the basis of his creed was similar to that of a Muslim: Mahomet was a prophet and Christ was a prophet.

It was a case of rival prophets--all else was obscured into a legend, and he saw the strife of race in the difference of creed.

For the rest, he flourished the salutations and language of the Arab as though they were his own, and he spoke Arabic as perfectly as he did French and English.
He was the second son of his father.

The first son, who was but a year older, and was as dark as he was fair, had inherited--had seized--all his father's wealth.