, Mr Montague, what
can I do for you?' Paul began his story, expressing again the opinion
which he had already very plainly expressed at the table. But Melmotte
stopped him very shortly, and with much less courtesy than he had
shown in the speech which he had made from the chair. 'The thing is
about this way, I take it, Mr Montague;--you think you know more of this
matter than I do.'
'Not at all, Mr Melmotte.'
'And I think that I know more of it than you do. Either of us may be
right. But as I don't intend to give way to you, perhaps the less we
speak together about it the better. You can't be in earnest in the
threat you made, because you would be making public things communicated
to you under the seal of privacy,--and no gentleman would do that. But
as long as you are hostile to me, I can't help you,--and so good
afternoon.' Then, without giving Montague the possibility of a
reply, he escaped into an inner room which had the word 'Private'
painted on the door, and which was supposed to belong to the chairman
individually. He shut the door behind him, and then, after a few
moments, put out his head and beckoned to Sir Felix Carbury.
Nidderdale was gone. Lord Alfred with his son were already on the
stairs. Cohenlupe was engaged with Melmotte's clerk on the
record-book. Paul Montague, finding himself without support and alone,
slowly made his way out into the court.
Sir Felix had come into the city intending to suggest to the Chairman
that having paid his thousand pounds he should like to have a few
shares to go on with. He was, indeed, at the present moment very
nearly penniless, and had negotiated, or lost at cards, all the
I.O.U.'s which were in any degree serviceable. He still had a
pocketbook full of those issued by Miles Grendall; but it was now an
understood thing at the Beargarden that no one was to be called upon
to take them except Miles Grendall himself;--an arrangement which robbed
the card-table of much of its delight. Beyond this, also, he had
lately been forced to issue a little paper himself,--in doing which he
had talked largely of his shares in the railway. His case certainly
was hard. He had actually paid a thousand pounds down in hard cash, a
commercial transaction which, as performed by himself, he regarded as
stupendous. It was almost incredible to himself that he should have
paid any one a thousand pounds, but he had done it with much
difficulty,--having carried Dolly junior with him all the
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