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About six o'clock in the afternoon she sent this letter to Mr Broune's rooms in Pall Mall East, and then sat for awhile alone, full of regrets. She had thrown away from her a firm footing which would certainly have served her for her whole life. Even at this moment she was in debt, and did not know how to pay her debts without mortgaging her life income.
One doesn't want to break a butterfly on the wheel; especially a friendly butterfly. 'As to the friendship, it should be kept separate. That's my idea, said Mr Alf, moving away. 'I'll never forget what you've done for me, never! said Lady Carbury, holding Mr Broune's hand for a moment, as she whispered to him. 'Nothing more than my duty, said he, smiling.
God bless you. And so he hurried off. Early on the following morning a letter from Lady Carbury was put into Mr Broune's hands, giving the story of the money as far as she had been able to extract it from Sir Felix. Sir Felix declared that Mr Melmotte had owed him £600, and that he had received £250 out of this from Miss Melmotte, so that there was still a large balance due to him.
This happened some days after Mr Broune's proposal to Lady Carbury, more than a week since Marie had seen Sir Felix. As soon as Lord Nidderdale was gone she wrote again to Sir Felix begging that she might hear from him, and entrusted her letter to Didon. Lady Carbury had allowed herself two days for answering Mr Broune's proposition.
'Lady Carbury, said Mr Broune, standing up a second time, 'we are neither of us so young as we used to be. 'No, indeed; and therefore it is that we can afford to ourselves the luxury of being friends. Nothing but age enables men and women to know each other intimately. This speech was a great impediment to Mr Broune's progress.
The young man looked up into Mr Broune's face with mingled impudence and surprise. 'Halloo, old fellow, he said, 'you've been keeping it up late here; haven't you? He was nearly drunk, and Mr Broune, perceiving his condition, passed him without a word.
At the present moment she was very wretched; and was certainly unselfish in her wish to see her daughter comfortably settled before she commenced those miserable roamings with her son which seemed to be her coming destiny. In these days she thought a good deal of Mr Broune's offer, and of her own refusal.
'I don't see anything like an income, said Lady Carbury; 'but I suppose Roger will make it right. He takes everything upon himself now it seems. But this was before the halcyon day of Mr Broune's second offer. It was at any rate decided that they were to be married, and the time fixed for the marriage was to be the following spring.
It was evidently Mr Broune's anxious wish that Sir Felix should see as much as possible of German life, at a comparatively moderate expenditure, and under circumstances that should be externally respectable if not absolutely those which a young gentleman might choose for his own comfort or profit; but especially that those circumstances should not admit of the speedy return to England of the young gentleman himself.
And now Mr Broune's mouth was opened, and his voice was free. 'Lady Carbury, he said, 'I have lived a long time without marrying, and I have sometimes thought that it would be better for me to go on the same way to the end. I have worked so hard all my life that when I was young I had no time to think of love.
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