thing wrong
regarding that little angel, or to fancy that she is not as pure, and as
good, and as gentle, and as innocent, by Heaven, as any angel there,--if
any man thinks I'd be the villain to hurt her, I should just like to see
him," says Jack. "By the Lord, sir, just bring him to me. Just tell the
waiter to send him upstairs. Hurt her! I hurt her! Oh! I'm a fool! a
fool! a d----d fool! Who's that?"

"It's Kew," says a voice out of the darkness from behind cigar No. 4,
and Clive now, having a party assembled, scrapes a match and lights his
candles.

"I heard your last words, Jack," Lord Kew says bluntly, "and you never
spoke more truth in your life. Why did you come here? What right had you
to stab that poor little heart over again, and frighten Lady Clara with
your confounded hairy face? You promised me you would never see her. You
gave your word of honour you wouldn't, when I gave you the money to go
abroad. Hang the money, I don't mind that; it was on your promise that
you would prowl about her no more. The Dorkings left London before you
came there; they gave you your innings. They have behaved kindly and
fairly enough to that poor girl. How was she to marry such a bankrupt
beggar as you are? What you have done is a shame, Charley Belsize. I
tell you it is unmanly and cowardly."

"Pst," says Florac, "numero deux, voila le mot lache."

"Don't bite your thumb at me," Kew went on. "I know you could thrash me,
if that's what you mean by shaking your fists; so could most men. I
tell you again--you have done a bad deed; you have broken your word of
honour, and you knocked down Clara Pulleyn to-day as cruelly as if you
had done it with your hand."

With this rush upon him, and fiery assault of Kew, Belsize was quite
bewildered. The huge man flung up his great arms, and let them drop at
his side as a gladiator that surrenders, and asks for pity. He sank down
once more on the iron bed.

"I don't know," says he, rolling and rolling round, in one of his great
hands, one of the brass knobs of the bed by which he was seated. "I
don't know, Frank," says he, "what the world is coming to, or me either;
here is twice in one night I have been called a coward by you, and by
that little what-d'-you-call-'m. I beg your pardon, Florac. I don't
know whether it is very brave in you to hit a chap when he is down: hit
again, I have no friends. I have acted like a blackguard, I own that; I
did break my promise; you had that safe eno