MR.

HASWELL LOSES HIS TEMPER Alan and Barbara sat in Mr.Champers-Haswell's private sitting-room with the awful decorations, and before them by the fire Mr.Champers-Haswell reclined upon his couch.

Alan in a few, brief, soldier-like words had just informed him of his engagement to Barbara.

During the recital of this interesting fact Barbara said nothing, but Mr.Haswell had whistled several times.

Now at length he spoke, in that tone of forced geniality which he generally adopted towards his cousin.
"You are asking for the hand of a considerable heiress, Alan my boy," he said, "but you have neglected to inform me of your own position." "Where is the use of telling you what you know already, Mr.Haswell?
I have left the firm, therefore I have practically nothing." "You have practically nothing, and yet----Well, in my young days men were more delicate, they did not like being called fortune-hunters, but of course times have changed." Alan bit his lip and Barbara sat up quite straight in her chair, observing which indications, Mr.Haswell went on hurriedly: "Now if you had stopped in the firm and earned the very handsome competence in a small way which would have become due to you this week, instead of throwing us over at the last moment for some quixotic reasons of your own, it might have been a different matter.