These maniacs kept Richard abroad for fairly the fifteen years next before he meets you in these pages.

The guardians were honest men; they watched the dollars of their ward with all the jealous eyes of Argus.

His mind they left to chance-blown influences, all alien; and to teachers, equally alien, and as equally the selection of chance.

And so it came that Richard grew up and continued without an attachment or a friendship or a purpose; and with a distrust of men in the gross promoted to feather-edge.

Altogether he should be called as loveless, not to say as, unlovable, a character as any you might encounter, and search throughout a summer's day.
Most of all, Richard had been spoiled by an admiration for Democritus, which Thracian's acquaintance he picked up at school.