"It does an old man's heart good to see and hear him," and the old
doctor straightened himself. "But he'll get old too; that's the sad
thing, from my point of view, that such beauty of person and swift
intelligence of mind _must_ grow old and withered, and slow and dull.
What did you say his name is, John?"
"His name is Courtney--Julius Courtney," said Lefevre.
"Courtney," mused the old man, stroking his eyebrow; "I once knew a man
of that name, or, rather, who took that name. I wonder if this friend of
yours is of the same family; he is not unlike the man I knew."
"Oh," said Lefevre, immediately interested, "he may be of the same
family, but I don't know anything of his relations. Who was the man, may
I ask, that you knew?"
"Well," said the old gentleman, settling down to a story, which Lefevre
was sure would be full of interest and contemporary allusion, for the
old physician had in his time seen many men and many things--"it is a
romantic story in its way."
He was on the point of beginning it when dinner was announced.
"I should like to hear the story when we return to the drawing-room,"
said Lefevre.
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