speechless,
trying to fathom the depth of the vulgarity of her associates.
Occasionally she was taken out, and was then, probably, taken to very
grand houses. The two duchesses and the Marchioness of Auld Reekie
received Madame Melmotte, and the garden parties of royalty were open
to her. And some of the most elaborate fetes of the season.--which
indeed were very elaborate on behalf of this and that travelling
potentate,--were attained. On these occasions Miss Longestaffe was fully
aware of the struggle that was always made for invitations, often
unsuccessfully, but sometimes with triumph. Even the bargains,
conducted by the hands of Lord Alfred and his mighty sister, were not
altogether hidden from her. The Emperor of China was to be in London
and it was thought proper that some private person, some untitled
individual, should give the Emperor a dinner, so that the Emperor
might see how an English merchant lives. Mr Melmotte was chosen on
condition that he would spend L10,000 on the banquet;--and, as a part of
his payment for this expenditure, was to be admitted with his family,
to a grand entertainment given to the Emperor at Windsor Park. Of
these good things Georgiana Longestaffe would receive her share. But
she went to them as a Melmotte and not as a Longestaffe,--and when
amidst these gaieties, though she could see her old friends, she was
not with them. She was ever behind Madame Melmotte, till she hated the
make of that lady's garments and the shape of that lady's back.

She had told both her father and mother very plainly that it behoved
her to be in London at this time of the year that she might--look for a
husband. She had not hesitated in declaring her purpose; and that
purpose, together with the means of carrying it out, had not appeared
to them to be unreasonable. She wanted to be settled in life. She had
meant, when she first started on her career, to have a lord;--but lords
are scarce. She was herself not very highly born, not very highly
gifted, not very lovely, not very pleasant, and she had no fortune.
She had long made up her mind that she could do without a lord, but
that she must get a commoner of the proper sort. He must be a man with
a place in the country and sufficient means to bring him annually to
London. He must be a gentleman,--and, probably, in parliament. And above
all things he must be in the right set. She would rather go on for
ever struggling than take some country Whitstable as her s