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'I don't suppose I could ever really be any good at business,' said thelord
'You wouldn't come and work, I suppose I shouldn't expect that But I should be glad to think that I could tell you how things are going on Of course you heard all that was said just before the election For forty-eight hours I had a very bad time of it then The fact was that Alf and they ere supporting hi ht,--perfectly unscrupulous as to what they said or what harht that very cruel They couldn't get theirmy property suddenly by nearly half a million of money Think what that is!'
'I don't understand how it could be done'
'Because you don't understand how delicate a thing is credit They persuaded a lot of men to stay away from that infernal dinner, and consequently it was spread about the town that I was ruined The effect upon shares which I held was instantaneous and tremendous The Mexican railere at 117, and they fell fro quite no was out of the question Cohenlupe and I between us had about 8,000 of these shares Think what that comes to!' Nidderdale tried to calculate what it did coether 'That's what I call a blow;--a terrible blow When a man is concerned as I aely with the one property for another every day of his life,--according as the o I don't keep such a sum as that in one concern as an investment Nobody does Then when a panic coain?'
'Oh yes,--perhaps higher than ever But it will take time And in the meantime I am driven to fall back upon property intended for other purposes That's theof what you hear about that place down in Sussex which I bought for Marie I was so driven that I was obliged to raise forty or fifty thousand wherever I could But that will be all right in a week or two And as for Marie's money,--that, you know, is settled'
He quite succeeded inNidderdale believe every word that he spoke, and he produced also a friendly feeling in the youngto a desire that he ht be of service to his future father-in-law Hazily, as through a thick fog, Lord Nidderdale thought that he did see so of the glories, of commerce on an extended scale, and an idea occurred to hi than whist or unliht tell hied He was on this occasion somewhat captivated by Melmotte, and went away fro man;--one hom he could sympathise, and to whom in a certain way he could become attached