im. But in other
districts it came to be said of him that he had been more sinned
against than sinning; and that, but for the jealousy of the old
stagers in the mercantile world, he would have done very wonderful
things. Marylebone, which is always merciful, took him up quite with
affection, and would have returned his ghost to Parliament could his
ghost have paid for committee rooms. Finsbury delighted for a while to
talk of the great Financier, and even Chelsea thought that he had been
done to death by ungenerous tongues. It was, however, Marylebone alone
that spoke of a monument.

Mr Longestaffe came back to his house, taking formal possession of it
a few days after the verdict. Of course he was alone. There had been
no further question of bringing the ladies of the family up to town;
and Dolly altogether declined to share with his father the honour of
encountering the dead man's spirit. But there was very much for Mr
Longestaffe to do, and very much also for his son. It was becoming a
question with both of them how far they had been ruined by their
connection with the horrible man. It was clear that they could not get
back the title-deeds of the Pickering property without paying the
amount which had been advanced upon them, and it was equally clear
that they could not pay that sum unless they were enabled to do so by
funds coming out of the Melmotte estate. Dolly, as he sat smoking upon
the stool in Mr Squercum's office, where he now passed a considerable
portion of his time, looked upon himself as a miracle of ill-usage.

'By George, you know, I shall have to go to law with the governor.
There's nothing else for it; is there, Squercum?'

Squercum suggested that they had better wait till they found what
pickings there might be out of the Melmotte estate. He had made
inquiries too about that, and had been assured that there must be
property, but property so involved and tied up as to make it
impossible to lay hands upon it suddenly. 'They say that the things in
the square, and the plate, and the carriages and horses, and all that,
ought to fetch between twenty and thirty thousand. There were a lot of
jewels, but the women have taken them,' said Squercum.

'By George, they ought to be made to give up everything. Did you ever
hear of such a thing;--the very house pulled down,--my house; and all
done without a word from me in the matter? I don't suppose such a thing
was ever known before, since properties were prope