uet
what an English merchant-citizen of London could do. Of course there
was a great amount of scolding and a loud clamour on the occasion.
Some men said that Melmotte was not a citizen of London, others that
he was not a merchant, others again that he was not an Englishman. But
no man could deny that he was both able and willing to spend the
necessary money; and as this combination of ability and will was the
chief thing necessary, they who opposed the arrangement could only
storm and scold. On the 20th of June the tradesmen were at work,
throwing up a building behind, knocking down walls, and generally
transmuting the house in Grosvenor Square in such a fashion that two
hundred guests might be able to sit down to dinner in the dining-room
of a British merchant.

But who were to be the two hundred? It used to be the case that when
a gentleman gave a dinner he asked his own guests;--but when affairs
become great, society can hardly be carried on after that simple
fashion. The Emperor of China could not be made to sit at table
without English royalty, and English royalty must know whom it has to
meet,--must select at any rate some of its comrades. The minister of the
day also had his candidates for the dinner,--in which arrangement there
was however no private patronage, as the list was confined to the
cabinet and their wives. The Prime Minister took some credit to
himself in that he would not ask for a single ticket for a private
friend. But the Opposition as a body desired their share of seats.
Melmotte had elected to stand for Westminster on the conservative
interest, and was advised that he must insist on having as it were a
conservative cabinet present, with its conservative wives. He was told
that he owed it to his party, and that his party exacted payment of
the debt. But the great difficulty lay with the city merchants. This
was to be a city merchant's private feast, and it was essential that
the Emperor should meet this great merchant's brother merchants at the
merchant's board. No doubt the Emperor would see all the merchants at
the Guildhall; but that would be a semi-public affair, paid for out of
the funds of a corporation. This was to be a private dinner. Now the
Lord Mayor had set his face against it, and what was to be done?
Meetings were held; a committee was appointed; merchant guests were
selected, to the number of fifteen with their fifteen wives;--and
subsequently the Lord Mayor was made a baronet on