had not gone to the dinner
prided themselves on their foresight, as did also the politicians who
had declined to meet the Emperor of China at the table of the
suspected Financier. They who had got up the dinner and had been
instrumental in taking the Emperor to the house in Grosvenor Square,
and they also who had brought him forward at Westminster and had
fought his battle for him, were aware that they would have to defend
themselves against heavy attacks. No one now had a word to say in his
favour, or a doubt as to his guilt. The Grendalls had retired
altogether out of town, and were no longer even heard of. Lord Alfred
had not been seen since the day of the dinner. The Duchess of Albury,
too, went into the country some weeks earlier than usual, quelled, as
the world said, by the general Melmotte failure. But this departure
had not as yet taken place at the time at which we have now arrived.

When the Speaker took his seat in the House, soon after four o'clock,
there were a great many members present, and a general feeling
prevailed that the world was more than ordinarily alive because of
Melmotte and his failures. It had been confidently asserted throughout
the morning that he would be put upon his trial for forgery in
reference to the purchase of the Pickering property from Mr
Longestaffe, and it was known that he had not as yet shown himself
anywhere on this day. People had gone to look at the house in
Grosvenor Square,--not knowing that he was still living in Mr
Longestaffe's house in Bruton Street, and had come away with the
impression that the desolation of ruin and crime was already plainly
to be seen upon it. 'I wonder where he is,' said Mr Lupton to Mr
Beauchamp Beauclerk in one of the lobbies of the House.

'They say he hasn't been in the City all day. I suppose he's in
Longestaffe's house. That poor fellow has got it heavy all round. The
man has got his place in the country and his house in town. There's
Nidderdale. I wonder what he thinks about it all.'

'This is awful;--ain't it?' said Nidderdale.

'It might have been worse, I should say, as far as you are concerned,'
replied Mr Lupton.

'Well, yes. But I'll tell you what, Lupton. I don't quite understand
it all yet. Our lawyer said three days ago that the money was
certainly there.'

'And Cohenlupe was certainly here three days ago,' said Lupton,--'but
he isn't here now. It seems to me that it has just happened in time
for you.' Lord Nidderdale sh