ent the hour he saw me! You may tell papa.' And then, having thus
entrusted her message to Madame Melmotte, Marie left the room.

CHAPTER LXIX - MELMOTTE IN PARLIAMENT

Melmotte did not return home in time to hear the good news that day,--
good news as he would regard it, even though, when told to him, it
should be accompanied by all the extraneous additions with which Marie
had communicated her purpose to Madame Melmotte. It was nothing to him
what the girl thought of the marriage,--if the marriage could now be
brought about. He, too, had cause for vexation, if not for anger. If
Marie had consented a fortnight since he might have so hurried affairs
that Lord Nidderdale might by this time have been secured. Now there
might be,--must be, doubt, through the folly of his girl and the
villainy of Sir Felix Carbury. Were he once the father-in-law of the
eldest son of a marquis, he thought he might almost be safe. Even
though something might be all but proved against him,--which might come
to certain proof in less august circumstances,--matters would hardly be
pressed against a Member for Westminster whose daughter was married to
the heir of the Marquis of Auld Reekie! So many persons would then be
concerned! Of course his vexation with Marie had been great. Of course
his wrath against Sir Felix was unbounded. The seat for Westminster
was his. He was to be seen to occupy it before all the world on this
very day. But he had not as yet heard that his daughter had yielded in
reference to Lord Nidderdale.

There was considerable uneasiness felt in some circles as to the
manner in which Melmotte should take his seat. When he was put forward
as the Conservative candidate for the borough a good deal of fuss had
been made with him by certain leading politicians. It had been the
manifest intention of the party that his return, if he were returned,
should be hailed as a great Conservative triumph, and be made much of
through the length and the breadth of the land. He was returned,--but
the trumpets had not as yet been sounded loudly. On a sudden, within
the space of forty-eight hours, the party had become ashamed of their
man. And, now, who was to introduce him to the House? But with this
feeling of shame on one side, there was already springing up an idea
among another class that Melmotte might become as it were a
Conservative tribune of the people,--that he might be the realization
of that hitherto hazy mixture of Radicalis