The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-12

outward respect. His little money-grub- ping soul could not even perceive the brave and noble sacrifice that was being made, far less admire the simple inno- cence with which it was offered. His small mind required only a moment for the easy arithmetical computation that four thousand a year was nothing com pared to Lord Farintoshs fifteen thou sand; not to mention the noble alliance, which was doubly dear to Barnes now that he had married into the nobility him. selw.
 But the Bundlecund Banking Company was, indeed, a great affair, so great that even the great banking house of New come could not afford to incur its enmity. Therefore Sir Barnes saw his profit, as usual, in playing double.
 Playing double is something that polite society recognizes as almost vital at times to preserve it's sacred institutions. Un- fortunately Colonel Newcome did not be- long to polite society. Therefore when he discovered presently that Lady Kew had whisked Ethel away to Scotland, whence her engagement to Lord Farin- tosh was announced soon afterward, he lost no time in striding into the Newcome bank and there. in the presence of .tremp- ling clerks, called Sir Barnes liar, traitor and knave.
 All London heard of it in a day. Poor Barnes, in weak attempt to retrieve his reputation, announced his regret that he couldn challenge a man who was his uncle. Thereupon Give wrote to him, repeating the charges and offering to meet him. and delighted club acquaintances assured Sir Barnes that the code per mitted meeting between cousins. Gen eral Sir George Tufto wickedly congrat- ulated Barnes on his opportunity, leaving the unhappy gentleman no recourse but te1,At fon 11n, ir, la,o l raging, to the intense glee of all the gay world.
 To console his boy the Colonel now decided on long tour of the continent, and Give, bearing his defeat with cour- age and resolution that made the old soldier doubly proud of him, assented eagerly. They travelled Rhineland and Switzerland, they crossed into Italy, they went over the Styrian Alps to Vienna, they beheld the Danube. They did not speak much to one another. Perhaps those who saw them shrugged their shoulders at this typical pair of English travellers. They could not know the care in the younger travellers mind or the deep tenderness and solicitude of the elder.
 So at last toward autumn they founi themselves in Brussels, and settled down to spend the winter with old James Bin nie, who was living on the Continent with his widowed sister, Mrs. Mackenzie, and her lovely young daughter. Old Binnie had rebelled feebly at first when the widow descended on him, with the plain purpose of exchanging her poverty for the comfortable establishment of her brother; but he had succumbed and now was willing and devoted slave to his pretty niece.
 And about this time a good and true friend of Colonel Newcome wrote a letter to him, which followed him unavailingly through Europe and never found him un- til long afterward. Had it reached him in time it might have prevented much that was to happen.
 During their wanderings the Colonel and his son had heard about the latest scandal in the family of their kinsman, Sir Barnes-how he had i'll treated his wife, Lady Clara. till he had been knocked down for 1t by Lord Highgate,