Mezzoni the Brigand — page 64: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

€ . A +f ; oy ei) 5! ¥ . - r > 56 MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. of character had seemed to fade out from the fam- ily representatives as its pecuniary fortune had done, and Alberto Corrello to-day, in place of hold- ing the position of counselor, scholar, and philoso- pher, as his great, great grandfather had done, was known better as the famous Neapolitan gamester than for any other individuality. He wasaman of singular habits, often isolating himself for days at a time, and refusing to see even his confidential servant. He cared apparently for neither women nor wine, and so far as his nature was evinced to the outer world, he exhibited but one passion, that of the gamester. One other trait Al- berto Corrello had shown, that of cold-blooded ven- geance, such as is often seen in the duelist. He had several times been engaged in these. personal en- counters, in which he had more than once killed his adversary. Some people accounted for his solitary tastes and frequent retirement from his associates, as resulting from the remorse engendered by these events. He had no intimates; and it was said that he was too proud to associate thus with the class among whom his habits as a gamester so often brought him. He had early run through with the limited means which he had inherited, and how he managed to sustain his large losses as a gambler was often a source of surprise to those who knew him. There was, however, a well-authenticated story extant, and which had been tossed about from mouth to mouth among the gossips for years. It was to the effect that one of the Corrello family had left a sealed Jar buried in the basement of the pal- ace, and which, with certain conditions. was men- tioned in his will. This jar was not to be opened for “SEO EComicboo