He then became reformed.
Which meant, that from a liberal, open-handed, careless fellow, he changed to a cynical, cautious man.
With a small remnant of his fortune, and an inheritance from a distant relative, Elias became a man of the world, or rather, a worldly man.
In other words, he began life for a second time, and on an equally wrong basis.
Before his eyes were two classes of his equals. Reckless men with large hearts, and careful men with no hearts at all, for such was the organisation of the society surrounding him.
Of the first class he had full experience; of the second he had none whatever.
To the latter he resolved to attach himself.
It is useless wondering why this should have been. Perhaps he had never been fitted for the community of large-hearted men, and had only mixed with them through novelty, or ignorance of his own station.
Be this as it may, one thing is certain, he became before long a most exemplary member of the society he had selected for imitation. No one drove a closer bargain, saw an advantage (to himself), or could lay surer plans for securing it, than Elias Rody.
He learned, also, to control, and in every way wield influence over those around him. Power became his dream. He was ambitious of governing men.