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Dolly had at first hesitated as to placing himself as he thought between the fire of two enemies, and Mr Squercum had told him that as the matter would probably soon be made public, he could not judiciously refuse to meet his father and the old family lawyer. Therefore Dolly had attended, at great personal inconvenience to himself.
'I wonder whether his father did it, or old Bideawhile, or Melmotte himself? Mr Squercum was inclined to think that Bideawhile would not have done it, that Melmotte could have had no opportunity, and that the father must have been the practitioner. 'It's not the trick of a pompous old fool either, said Mr Squercum, in his soliloquy.
It was certainly true that Squercum himself had seen the letter in Mr Bideawhile's office which conveyed to the father's lawyer the son's sanction for the surrender of the title-deeds, and that that letter, prepared in Mr Bideawhile's office, purported to have Dolly's signature.
'If so you may be sure that we shall produce it. Then Mr Squercum took his leave and went straight away to Mr Bumby, a barrister well known in the City. The game was too powerful to be hunted down by Mr Squercum's unassisted hands. He had already seen Mr Bumby on the matter more than once.
Both the father and the lawyer looked at Dolly. Dolly was in truth the accuser through the mouthpiece of his attorney Squercum. It was at Dolly's instance that these proceedings were being taken. 'I, on behalf of my client, said Mr Bideawhile, 'will consent to wait till Friday at noon. 'I presume, Adolphus, that you will say as much, said the elder Longestaffe.
Melmotte with a smile apologized. Then it was settled that they three should meet in that very room on Friday at noon, and that the payment should then be made, Dolly stipulating that as his father would be attended by Bideawhile, so would he be attended by Squercum. To this Mr Longestaffe senior yielded with a very bad grace.
Such was the statement made at first to Mr Squercum by the Bideawhile party, who at that moment had no doubt of the genuineness of the letter or of the accuracy of their statement. Then Squercum saw his client again, and returned to the charge at Bideawhile's office, with the positive assurance that the signature was a forgery.
'I have spoken to Squercum, he said to the Committee, 'and Squercum won't hear of it. Squercum has made inquiries and he thinks the club very shaky. When one of the Committee made a remark as to Mr Squercum which was not complimentary, insinuated indeed that Squercum without injustice might be consigned to the infernal deities Dolly took the matter up warmly.
Squercum, who had heard a good deal on the previous day, was very certain that the money would not be forthcoming, whereas Bideawhile was sanguine of success.
Squercum would find a fellow, no doubt. But Mr Lupton was of opinion that the new Vossner might perhaps not know, when thus consulted, the extent of his own cupidity.
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