, and a dozen were forthcoming. Florac skips back with a glass of
water. Belsize runs towards the awakening girl: and the father, for an
instant losing all patience and self-command, trembling in every limb,
lifts his stick, and says again, "Leave her, you ruffian." "Lady Clara
has fainted again, sir," says Captain Belsize. "I am staying at the
Hotel de France. If you touch me, old man" (this in a very low voice),
"by Heaven I shall kill you. I wish you good morning;" and taking a last
long look at the lifeless girl, he lifts his hat and walks away. Lord
Dorking mechanically takes his hat off, and stands stupidly gazing after
him. He beckoned Clive to follow him, and a crowd of the frequenters of
the place are by this time closed round the fainting young lady.

Here was a pretty incident in the Congress of Baden!

CHAPTER XXIX. In which Barnes comes a-wooing

Ethel had all along known that her holiday was to be a short one, and
that, her papa and Barnes arrived, there was to be no more laughing and
fun and sketching and walking with Clive; so she took the sunshine while
it lasted, determined to bear with a stout heart the bad weather.

Sir Brian Newcome and his eldest born arrived at Baden on the very
night of Jack Belsize's performance upon the promenade; of course it was
necessary to inform the young bridegroom of the facts. His acquaintances
of the public, who by this time know his temper, and are acquainted with
his language, can imagine the explosions of the one and the vehemence
of the other; it was a perfect feu d'artifice of oaths which he sent
up. Mr. Newcome only fired off these volleys of curses when he was in a
passion, but then he was in a passion very frequently.

As for Lady Clara's little accident, he was disposed to treat that very
lightly. "Poor dear Clara, of course, of course," he said, "she's been
accustomed to fainting fits; no wonder she was agitated on the sight of
that villain, after his infernal treatment of her. If I had been there"
(a volley of oaths comes here along the whole line) "I should have
strangled the scoundrel; I should have murdered him."

"Mercy, Barnes!" cries Lady Anne.

"It was a mercy Barnes was not there," says Ethel, gravely; "a fight
between him and Captain Belsize would have been awful indeed."

"I am afraid of no man, Ethel," says Barnes fiercely, with another oath.

"Hit one of your own size, Barnes," says Miss Ethel (who had a number
of school-phrases f