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That evening Montague was surprised to receive at the Beargarden a note froer from the city,--who had expected to have an iue lived at the club

'DEAR SIR,' said the letter, If not inconvenient would you call on me in Grosvenor Square to- to church, perhaps you willwill suit best I want to have a feords with you in private about the Coer ait for answer if you are at the club

Yours truly, AUGUSTUS MELMOTTE

PAUL MONTAGUE, Esq, The Beargarden

Paul immediately wrote to say that he would call at Grosvenor Square at the hour appointed,--abandoning any intentions which heservice But this was not the only letter he received that evening On his return to his lodgings, he found a note, containing only one line, which Mrs Hurtle had found theto him after her return from Southend 'I am sorry to have been away I will expect you all to-morrow W H' The period of the reprieve was thus curtailed to less than a day

On the Sundayhe breakfasted late and then walked up to Grosvenor Square, reat reat man had declared himself very plainly in the Board-room,--especially plainly after the Board had risen Paul had understood that as declared, and had understood also that he was to fight the battle single-handed, knowing nothing of such strategy as would be required, while his antagonist was a great o to the wall in reference to his ht save his character and keep the reputation of an honest ether by Mr Ramsbottom, and intended to ask Mr Ramsbotto for him to publish But it was manifest now that Mr Melmotte would make some proposition, and it was impossible that he should have Mr Ramsbottom at his elbow to help hiht of the ball, but had contented hi a card He had heard much of the splendour of the place, but remembered simply the crush and the crowd, and that he had danced there more than once or tith Hetta Carbury When he was shown into the hail he was astonished to find that it was not only stripped, but was full of planks, and ladders, and trussels, and reat dinner had been already coh all this he made his way to the stairs, and was taken up to a small room on the second floor, where the servant told him that Mr Melmotte would co out into the yard at the back There was not a book in the room, or even a picture hich he could a to think whether his own personal dignity would not be best consulted by taking his departure, when Melmotte hinificent dressing-gown, bustled into the room 'My dear sir, I am so sorry You are a punctual man, I see So am I A man of business should be punctual But they ain't always Brehgert,--froert, and Goldsheiner, you know,--has just been withabout the Moldavian loan He came a quarter late, and of course he went a quarter late And how is a man to catch a quarter of an hour? I never could do it' Montague assured the great man that the delay was of no consequence 'And I aert in my rooet into a furnished house a little way off in Bruton Street to-estaffe lets me his house for a month till this affair of the dinner is over By-the by, Montague, if you'd like to coot a ticket I can let you have You kno they're run after' Montague had heard of the dinner, but had perhaps heard as little of it as anya club at the west end of London He did not in the least want to be at the dinner, and certainly did not wish to receive any extraordinary civility from Mr Melmotte's hands