CHAPTER LXI.
LADY MONOGRAM PREPARES FOR THE PARTY.
When the little conversation took place between Lady Monogram andMiss Longestaffe, as recorded in the last chapter, Mr. Melmottewas in all his glory, and tickets for the entertainment were veryprecious. Gradually their value subsided. Lady Monogram had paid verydear for hers,--especially as the reception of Mr. Brehgert must beconsidered. But high prices were then being paid. A lady offered totake Marie Melmotte into the country with her for a week; but thiswas before the elopement. Mr. Cohenlupe was asked out to dinner tomeet two peers and a countess. Lord Alfred received various presents.A young lady gave a lock of her hair to Lord Nidderdale, although itwas known that he was to marry Marie Melmotte. And Miles Grendall gotback an I. O. U. of considerable nominal value from Lord Grasslough,who was anxious to accommodate two country cousins who were inLondon. Gradually the prices fell;--not at first from any doubt inMelmotte, but through that customary reaction which may be expectedon such occasions. But at eight or nine o'clock on the evening ofthe party the tickets were worth nothing. The rumour had then spreaditself through the whole town from Pimlico to Marylebone. Men cominghome from clubs had told their wives. Ladies who had been in the parkhad heard it. Even the hairdressers had it, and ladies' maids hadbeen instructed by the footmen and grooms who had been holding horsesand seated on the coach-boxes. It had got into the air, and hadfloated round dining-rooms and over toilet-tables.
I doubt whether Sir Damask would have said a word about it to hiswife as he was dressing for dinner, had he calculated what mightbe the result to himself. But he came home open-mouthed, and madeno calculation. "Have you heard what's up, Ju?" he said, rushinghalf-dressed into his wife's room.
"Have you heard what's up, Ju?"]
"What is up?"
"Haven't you been out?"
"I was shopping, and that kind of thing. I don't want to take thatgirl into the Park. I've made a mistake in having her here, but Imean to be seen with her as little as I can."
"Be good-natured, Ju, whatever you are."
"Oh, bother! I know what I'm about. What is it you mean?"
"They say Melmotte's been found out."
"Found out!" exclaimed Lady Monogram, stopping her maid in somearrangement which would not need to be continued in the event of hernot going to the reception. "What do you mean by found out?"
"I don't know exactly. There are a dozen stories told. It's somethingabout that place he bought of old Longestaffe."
"Are the Longestaffes mixed up in it? I won't have her here a daylonger if there is anything against them."
"Don't be an ass, Ju. There's nothing against him except that thepoor old fellow hasn't got a shilling of his money."
"Then he's ruined,--and there's an end of them."
"Perhaps he will get it now. Some say that Melmotte has forged areceipt, others a letter. Some declare that he has manufactured awhole set of title-deeds. You remember Dolly?"
"Of course I know Dolly Longestaffe," said Lady Monogram, who hadthought at one time that an alliance with Dolly might be convenient.
"They say he has found it all out. There was always something aboutDolly more than fellows gave him credit for. At any rate, everybodysays that Melmotte will be in quod before long."
"Not to-night, Damask!"
"Nobody seems to know. Lupton was saying that the policemen wouldwait about in the room like servants till the Emperor and the Princeshad gone away."
"Is Mr. Lupton going?"
"He was to have been at the dinner, but hadn't made up his mindwhether he'd go or not when I saw him. Nobody seems to be quitecertain whether the Emperor will go. Somebody said that a CabinetCouncil was to be called to know what to do."
"A Cabinet Council!"
"Why, you see it's rather an awkward thing, letting the Prince go todine with a man who perhaps may have been arrested and taken to gaolbefore dinner-time. That's the worst part of it. Nobody knows."
Lady Monogram waved her attendant away. She piqued herself uponhaving a French maid who could not speak a word of English, and wastherefore quite careless what she said in the woman's presence. But,of course, everything she did say was repeated down-stairs in somelanguage that had become intelligible to the servants generally. LadyMonogram sat motionless for some time, while her husband, retreatingto his own domain, finished his operations. "Damask," she said, whenhe reappeared, "one thing is certain;--we can't go."
"After you've made such a fuss about it!"
"It is a pity,--having that girl here in the house. You know, don'tyou, she's going to marry one of these people?"
"I heard about her marriage yesterday. But Brehgert isn't one ofMelmotte's set. They tell me that Brehgert isn't a bad fellow. Avulgar cad, and all that, but nothing wrong about him."
"He's a Jew,--and he's seventy years old, and makes up horribly."
"What does it matter to you if he's eighty? You are determined, then,you won't go?"
But Lady Monogram had by no means determined that she wouldn't go.She had paid her price, and with that economy which sticks to a womanalways in the midst of her extravagances, she could not bear to losethe thing that she had bought. She cared nothing for Melmotte'svillainy, as regarded herself. That he was enriching himself by thedaily plunder of the innocent she had taken for granted since she hadfirst heard of him. She had but a confused idea of any differencebetween commerce and fraud. But it would grieve her greatly tobecome known as one of an awkward squad of people who had driven tothe door, and perhaps been admitted to some wretched gathering ofwretched people,--and not, after all, to have met the Emperor andthe Prince. But then, should she hear on the next morning that theEmperor and the Princes, that the Princesses, and the Duchesses,with the Ambassadors, Cabinet Ministers, and proper sort of worldgenerally, had all been there,--that the world, in short, had ignoredMelmotte's villainy,--then would her grief be still greater. She satdown to dinner with her husband and Miss Longestaffe, and could nottalk freely on the matter. Miss Longestaffe was still a guest of theMelmottes, although she had transferred herself to the Monogramsfor a day or two. And a horrible idea crossed Lady Monogram's mind.What should she do with her friend Georgiana if the whole Melmotteestablishment were suddenly broken up? Of course, Madame Melmottewould refuse to take the girl back if her husband were sent to gaol."I suppose you'll go," said Sir Damask as the ladies left the room.
"Of course we shall,--in about an hour," said Lady Monogram asshe left the room, looking round at him and rebuking him for hisimprudence.
"Because, you know--" and then he called her back. "If you want meI'll stay, of course; but if you don't, I'll go down to the club."
"How can I say, yet? You needn't mind the club to-night."
"All right;--only it's a bore being here alone."
Then Miss Longestaffe asked what "was up." "Is there any doubt aboutour going to-night?"
"I can't say. I'm so harassed that I don't know what I'm about. Thereseems to be a report that the Emperor won't be there."
"Impossible!"
"It's all very well to say impossible, my dear," said Lady Monogram;"but still that's what people are saying. You see Mr. Melmotte is avery great man, but perhaps--something else has turned up, so thathe may be thrown over. Things of that kind do happen. You had betterfinish dressing. I shall. But I shan't make sure of going till I hearthat the Emperor is there." Then she descended to her husband, whomshe found forlornly consoling himself with a cigar. "Damask," shesaid, "you must find out."
"Find out what?"
"Whether the Prince and the Emperor are there."
"Send John to ask," suggested the husband.
"He would be sure to make a blunder about it. If you'd go yourselfyou'd learn the truth in a minute. Have a cab,--just go into the halland you'll soon know how it all is;--I'd do it in a minute if I wereyou." Sir Damask was the most good-natured man in the world, but hedid not like the job. "What can be the objection?" asked his wife.
"Go to a man's h
ouse and find out whether a man's guests are comebefore you go yourself! I don't just see it, Ju."
"Guests! What nonsense! The Emperor and all the Royal Family! As ifit were like any other party. Such a thing, probably, never happenedbefore, and never will happen again. If you don't go, Damask, Imust; and I will." Sir Damask, after groaning and smoking for halfa minute, said that he would go. He made many remonstrances. It wasa confounded bore. He hated emperors and he hated princes. He hatedthe whole box and dice of that sort of thing! He "wished to goodness"that he had dined at his club and sent word up home that the affairwas to be off. But at last he submitted, and allowed his wife toleave the room with the intention of sending for a cab. The cab wassent for and announced, but Sir Damask would not stir till he hadfinished his big cigar.
It was past ten when he left his own house. On arriving in GrosvenorSquare he could at once see that the party was going on. The housewas illuminated. There was a concourse of servants round the door,and half the square was already blocked up with carriages. It wasnot without delay that he got to the door, and when there he saw theroyal liveries. There was no doubt about the party. The Emperor andthe Princes and the Princesses were all there. As far as Sir Damaskcould then perceive, the dinner had been quite a success. But againthere was a delay in getting away, and it was nearly eleven beforehe could reach home. "It's all right," said he to his wife. "They'rethere, safe enough."
"You are sure that the Emperor is there."
"As sure as a man can be without having seen him."
Miss Longestaffe was present at this moment, and could not but resentwhat appeared to be a most unseemly slur cast upon her friends. "Idon't understand it at all," she said. "Of course the Emperor isthere. Everybody has known for the last month that he was coming.What is the meaning of it, Julia?"
"My dear, you must allow me to manage my own little affairs my ownway. I dare say I am absurd. But I have my reason. Now, Damask, ifthe carriage is there we had better start." The carriage was there,and they did start, and with a delay which seemed unprecedented, evento Lady Monogram, who was accustomed to these things, they reachedthe door. There was a great crush in the hall, and people were comingdown-stairs. But at last they made their way into the room above,and found that the Emperor of China and all the Royalties had beenthere,--but had taken their departure.
Sir Damask put the ladies into the carriage and went at once to hisclub.
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