ld be clearer? But still the money had not been paid.
That was the fault of Longestaffe senior. But if the money could be
paid, that would set everything right. Squercum evidently thought that
the money would not be paid, and was ceaseless in his intercourse with
Bideawhile's people. He charged Slow and Bideawhile with having
delivered up the title-deeds on the authority of a mere note, and that
a note with a forged signature. He demanded that the note should be
impounded. On the receipt by Mr Bideawhile of Melmotte's rather curt
reply Mr Squercum was informed that Mr Melmotte had promised to pay
the money at once, but that a day or two must be allowed. Mr Squercum
replied that on his client's behalf he should open the matter before
the Lord Mayor.

But in this way two or three days had passed without any renewal of
the accusation before the public, and Melmotte had in a certain degree
recovered his position. The Beauclerks and the Luptons disliked and
feared him as much as ever, but they did not quite dare to be so loud
and confident in condemnation as they had been. It was pretty well
known that Mr Longestaffe had not received his money,--and that was a
condition of things tending greatly to shake the credit of a man
living after Melmotte's fashion. But there was no crime in that. No
forgery was implied by the publication of any statement to that
effect. The Longestaffes, father and son, might probably have been
very foolish. Whoever expected anything but folly from either? And
Slow and Bideawhile might have been very remiss in their duty. It was
astonishing, some people said, what things attorneys would do in these
days! But they who had expected to see Melmotte behind the bars of a
prison before this, and had regulated their conduct accordingly, now
imagined that they had been deceived.

Had the Westminster triumph been altogether a triumph it would have
become the pleasant duty of some popular Conservative to express to
Melmotte the pleasure he would have in introducing his new political
ally to the House. In such case Melmotte himself would have been
walked up the chamber with a pleasurable ovation and the thing would
have been done without trouble to him. But now this was not the
position of affairs. Though the matter was debated at the Carlton, no
such popular Conservative offered his services. 'I don't think we
ought to throw him over,' Mr Beauclerk said. Sir Orlando Drought,
quite a leading Conservative, sug