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She knew that she could not hope to get a word of truth from her son. 'What do you mean by a large sum? 'Two or three hundred pounds, perhaps. 'I have not a shilling in the world, Mr Broune. Then it all came out, the whole story of her poverty, as it had been brought about by her son's misconduct.
But now, in the manager's presence, he drew a regular cheque on his business account for a large sum, and then, as a sort of afterthought, paid in the £250 which he had received from Mr Broune on account of the money which Sir Felix had taken from Marie. 'There don't seem much the matter with him, said the manager, when Melmotte had left the room.
'And now I have something to say to you. Mr Broune as he thus spoke to Lady Carbury rose up to his feet and then sat down again. There was an air of perturbation about him which was very manifest to the lady, and the cause and coming result of which she thought that she understood.
Hetta accepted the invitation and left London before she could hear the tidings of her mother's engagement with Mr Broune. Roger Carbury had not yielded in this matter, had not brought himself to determine that he would recognize Paul and Hetta as acknowledged lovers, without a fierce inward contest.
There were three, and only three, specially insolent and specially disagreeable independent members of Parliament at that time in the House, and there was no difficulty in selecting them. The wise men were chosen by their age. Among editors of newspapers there was some ill-blood. That Mr Alf and Mr Broune should be selected was almost a matter of course.
Sometimes they would sit in the front room with Hetta, to whom also Mr Broune had become attached; but sometimes Lady Carbury would be in her own sanctum. On this evening she received him there, and at once poured forth all her troubles about Felix. On this occasion she told him everything, and almost told him everything truly. He had already heard the story.
'Hetta, she said, 'I have something of business to communicate to Mr Broune. And so they were left alone. 'I'm afraid you didn't make much of Mr Melmotte, she said smiling. He had seated himself on the end of a sofa, close to the arm-chair which she occupied. In reply, he only shook his head and laughed. 'I saw how it was, and I was sorry for it; for he certainly is a wonderful man.
He would have told her to have nothing at all to do with such adventurers. But then dear Roger was old-fashioned, and knew nothing of people as they are now. He lived in a world which, though slow, had been good in its way; but which, whether bad or good, had now passed away. Then her eye settled on Mr Broune. She was afraid of Mr Alf.
But Roger had immediately returned to Suffolk, and the poor mother in want of assistance and consolation turned naturally to Mr Broune, who came to see her for a few minutes almost every evening. It had now become almost a part of Mr Broune's life to see Lady Carbury once in the day.
The falseness of the thing, and the injury which may come of it, did not shock her at all. Had she known that the editor professed to be in love with some lady in the next street, she would have been quite ready to enlist the lady in the next street among her friends that she might thus strengthen her own influence with Mr Broune.
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