very bad."

"How inconsolable M. Barnes will be!" said the Duchesse, shrugging her
haggard shoulders. Whereas the fact was that Mr. Barnes retained perfect
presence of mind under both of the misfortunes which had befallen his
family. Two days afterwards the Duchesse's husband arrived himself, when
we may presume that exemplary woman was too much engaged with her own
affairs to be able to be interested about the doings of other people.
With the Duke's arrival the court of Mary Queen of Scots was broken up.
Her Majesty was conducted to Lochleven, where her tyrant soon dismissed
her very last lady-in-waiting, the confidential Irish secretary, whose
performance had produced such a fine effect amongst the Newcomes.

Had poor Sir Brian Newcome's seizure occurred at an earlier period of
the autumn, his illness no doubt would have kept him for some months
confined at Baden; but as he was pretty nearly the last of Dr. Von
Finck's bath patients, and that eminent physician longed to be off to
the Residenz, he was pronounced in a fit condition for easy travelling
in rather a brief period after his attack, and it was determined to
transport him to Mannheim, and thence by water to London and Newcome.

During all this period of their father's misfortune no sister of charity
could have been more tender, active, cheerful, and watchful than
Miss Ethel. She had to wear a kind face, and exhibit no anxiety when
occasionally the feeble invalid made inquiries regarding poor Kew at
Baden; to catch the phrases as they came from him; to acquiesce, or not
to deny, when Sir Brian talked of the marriages--both marriages--taking
place at Christmas. Sir Brian was especially eager for his daughter's,
and repeatedly, with his broken words, and smiles, and caresses, which
were now quite senile, declared that his Ethel would make the prettiest
countess in England. There came a letter or two from Clive, no doubt, to
the young nurse in her sick-room. Manly and generous, full of tenderness
and affection, as those letters surely were, they could give but little
pleasure to the young lady--indeed, only add to her doubts and pain.

She had told none of her friends as yet of those last words of Kew's,
which she interpreted as a farewell on the young nobleman's part. Had
she told them they were likely would not have understood Kew's meaning
as she did, and persisted in thinking that the two were reconciled.
At any rate, whilst he and her father were still lyi