dream of fools. Those noble young men, who are the objects of your
hatred, will soar above you triumphantly, and their enemies will be
covered over with shame. Let me give you fair warning! Ye are ignorant of
the strength of those youths, over whom your vain imaginations appear to
triumph with such ease."

"Our forbearance, brother, I fear, only encourages the insolence of this,
our ungrateful relative," said Shagoth, in anger. "How soon these
upstarts forget their poverty when they are permitted to mingle in good
society."

"And how soon they forget the kind hands that lifted them up from their
low estate!" answered Scribbo, casting a reproachful glance in the
direction of Apgomer.

"Now, cousins," said Apgomer, smilingly, "since these charges are thrown
out against me, without going through the usual form of asking
permission, I shall at once take the liberty of repelling them.

"In the first place, I am charged with being an 'upstart,' and of too
soon forgetting my poverty. This I deny. I have, by no means, forgotten
my own poverty, or the low condition of my ancestors. Let us look at this
for a moment. Painful as it may be, I believe ye do occasionally admit
that I am your cousin. Well, then, be it remembered that I am your
cousin. Our fathers were brothers, and our grandfather was one and the
same person. It is well known to you that our respected grand-sire was an
individual who had to plod his way along through the very steeps of
poverty, and procure a little bread for his family by humble employments.
In poverty he lived, and in deep poverty he would have died, had it not
been for the grateful regard of one of his sons; of the other, I have