sey's side, and
then Laura showed Colonel Newcome his beautiful white Cashmere shawl
round a successor of that little person who had first been wrapped in
that web, now a stout young gentleman whose noise could be clearly heard
in the upper regions.

"I wish you could come down with us, Arthur, upon our electioneering
visit."

"That of which you were talking last night? Are you bent upon it?"

"Yes, I am determined on it."

Laura heard a child's cry at this moment, and left the room with a
parting glance at her husband, who in fact had talked over the matter
with Mrs. Pendennis, and agreed with her in opinion.

As the Colonel had opened the question, I ventured to make a respectful
remonstrance against the scheme. Vindictiveness on the part of a man
so simple and generous, so fair and noble in all his dealings as Thomas
Newcome, appeared in my mind unworthy of him. Surely his kinsman
had sorrow and humiliation enough already at home. Barnes's further
punishment, we thought, might be left to time, to remorse, to the Judge
of right and wrong; Who better understands than we can do, our causes
and temptations towards evil actions, Who reserves the sentence for His
own tribunal. But when angered, the best of us mistake our own motives,
as we do those of the enemy who inflames us. What may be private
revenge, we take to be indignant virtue and just revolt against wrong.
The Colonel would not hear of counsels of moderation, such as I bore him
from a sweet Christian pleader. "Remorse!" he cried out with a laugh,
"that villain will never feel it until he is tied up and whipped at the
cart's tail! Time change that rogue! Unless he is wholesomely punished,
he will grow a greater scoundrel every year. I am inclined to think,
sir," says he, his honest brows darkling as he looked towards me,
"that you too are spoiled by this wicked world, and these heartless,
fashionable, fine people. You wish to live well with the enemy, and with
us too, Pendennis. It can't be. He who is not with us is against us.
I very much fear, sir, that the women, the women, you understand, have
been talking you over. Do not let us speak any more about this subject,
for I don't wish that my son, and my son's old friend, should have a
quarrel." His face became red, his voice quivered with agitation, and he
looked with glances which I was pained to behold in those kind old
eyes: not because his wrath and suspicion visited myself, but because
an impartial wi