That it might become profitable at some future time, was possible; but Captain Archibald Clavering had not yet reached the profitable stage in the career of a betting man, though perhaps he was beginning to qualify himself for it.

He was not bad-looking, though his face was unprepossessing to a judge of character.

He was slight and well made about five feet nine in height, with light brown hair, which had already left the top of his head bald, with slight whiskers, and a well-formed moustache.

But the peculiarity of his face was in his eyes.
His eyebrows were light-colored and very slight, and this was made more apparent by the skin above the eyes, which was loose and hung down over the outside corners of them, giving him a look of cunning which was disagreeable.

He seemed always to be speculating, counting up the odds, and calculating whether anything could be done with the events then present before him.