red to her, as was hers to
him. There was no longer any egregious flattery between them,--and
he, in speaking to her, would be almost rough to her. Once he had
told her that she would be a fool if she did not do so and so. The
consequence was that she almost regretted that she had allowed him
to escape. But she certainly made no effort to recover the lost
prize, for she told him all her troubles. It was on that afternoon,
after her disagreement with her daughter, that Marie Melmotte came
to her. And, on the same evening, closeted with Mr Broune in her
back room, she told him of both occurrences. 'If the girl has got
the money--,' she began, regretting her son's obstinacy.

'I don't believe a bit of it,' said Broune. 'From all that I can hear,
I don't think that there is any money. And if there is, you may be
sure that Melmotte would not let it slip through his fingers in that
way. I would not have anything to do with it.'

'You think it is all over with the Melmottes?'

'A rumour reached me just now that he had been already arrested.' It
was now between nine and ten in the evening. 'But as I came away from
my room, I heard that he was down at the House. That he will have to
stand a trial for forgery, I think there cannot be a doubt, and I
imagine that it will be found that not a shilling will be saved out of
the property.'

'What a wonderful career it has been!'

'Yes;--the strangest thing that has come up in our days. I am inclined
to think that the utter ruin at this moment has been brought about by
his reckless personal expenditure.'

'Why did he spend such a lot of money?'

'Because he thought he could conquer the world by it, and obtain
universal credit. He very nearly succeeded too. Only he had forgotten
to calculate the force of the envy of his competitors.'

'You think he has committed forgery?'

'Certainly, I think so. Of course we know nothing as yet.'

'Then I suppose it is better that Felix should not have married her.'

'Certainly better. No redemption was to have been had on that side,
and I don't think you should regret the loss of such money as his.'
Lady Carbury shook her head, meaning probably to imply that even
Melmotte's money would have had no bad odour to one so dreadfully in
want of assistance as her son. 'At any rate do not think of it any
more.' Then she told him her grief about Hetta. 'Ah, there,' said he,
'I feel myself less able to express an authoritative opinion.'

'He doesn'