'
'Ah! the great Alroy; you may well be proud of such an ancestor.'
'I am ashamed, uncle, ashamed, ashamed.'
'His sceptre still exists. At least, I have not betrayed him. And this
brings me to the real purport of our interview. That sceptre I would
return.'
'To whom?'
'To its right owner, to yourself.'
'Oh! no, no, no; I pray you, I pray you not. I do entreat you, sir,
forget that I have a right as utterly as I disclaim it. That sceptre
you have wielded it wisely and well; I beseech you keep it. Indeed, good
uncle, I have no sort of talent for all the busy duties of this post.'
'You sigh for glory, yet you fly from toil.'
'Toil without glory is a menial's lot.'
'You are a boy; you may yet live to learn that the sweetest lot of life
consists in tranquil duties and well-earned repose.'
'If my lot be repose, I'll find it in a lair.'
'Ah! David, David, there is a wildness in your temper, boy, that makes
me often tremble. You are already too much alone, child. And for this,
as well as weightier reasons, I am desirous that you should at length
assume the office you inherit. What my poor experience can afford to aid
you, as your counsellor, I shall ever proffer; and, for the rest, our
God will not desert you, an orphan child, and born of royal blood.
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