look. Croll had for
many years been true to his patron, having been, upon the whole,
very well paid for such truth. There had been times when things had
gone badly with him, but he had believed in Melmotte, and, when
Melmotte rose, had been rewarded for his faith. Mr Croll at the
present time had little investments of his own, not made under his
employer's auspices, which would leave him not absolutely without
bread for his family should the Melmotte affairs at any time take
an awkward turn. Melmotte had never required from him service that
was actually fraudulent,--had at any rate never required it by spoken
words. Mr Croll had not been over-scrupulous, and had occasionally
been very useful to Mr Melmotte. But there must be a limit to all
things; and why should any man sacrifice himself beneath the ruins
of a falling house,--when convinced that nothing he can do can
prevent the fall? Mr Croll would have been of course happy to
witness Miss Melmotte's signature; but as for that other kind of
witnessing,--this clearly to his thinking was not the time for such
good-nature on his part.

'You know what's up now;--don't you?' said one of the junior clerks to
Mr Croll when he entered the office in Abchurch Lane.

'A good deal will be up soon,' said the German.

'Cohenlupe has gone!'

'And to vere has Mr Cohenlupe gone?'

'He hasn't been civil enough to leave his address. I fancy he don't
want his friends to have to trouble themselves by writing to him.
Nobody seems to know what's become of him.'

'New York,' suggested Mr Croll.

'They seem to think not. They're too hospitable in New York for Mr
Cohenlupe just at present. He's travelling private. He's on the
continent somewhere,--half across France by this time; but nobody knows
what route he has taken. That'll be a poke in the ribs for the old
boy;--eh, Croll?' Croll merely shook his head. 'I wonder what has
become of Miles Grendall,' continued the clerk.

'Ven de rats is going avay it is bad for de house. I like de rats to
stay.'

'There seems to have been a regular manufactory of Mexican Railway
scrip.'

'Our governor knew noding about dat,' said Croll.

'He has a hat full of them at any rate. If they could have been kept
up another fortnight they say Cohenlupe would have been worth nearly a
million of money, and the governor would have been as good as the
bank. Is it true they are going to have him before the Lord Mayor
about the Pickering title-deeds?' Cro