"You should come here often," he said to Shelton, as the latter received checkmate; "you 'd get some good practice.

We've several very fair players.

You're not as good as Jones or Bartholomew," he added to Shelton's opponent, as though he felt it a duty to put the latter in his place.

"You ought to come here often," he repeated to Shelton; "we have a lot of very good young fellows"; and, with a touch of complacence, he glanced around the dismal room.

"There are not so many here tonight as usual.