with these limited talents, might have been a clog upon
another man; but Mr Merdle did not want a son-in-law for himself; he
wanted a son-in-law for Society. Mr Sparkler having been in the Guards,
and being in the habit of frequenting all the races, and all the
lounges, and all the parties, and being well known, Society was
satisfied with its son-in-law. This happy result Mr Merdle would have
considered well attained, though Mr Sparkler had been a more expensive
article. And he did not get Mr Sparkler by any means cheap for
Society, even as it was. There was a dinner giving in the Harley Street
establishment, while Little Dorrit was stitching at her father's new
shirts by his side that night; and there were magnates from the Court
and magnates from the City, magnates from the Commons and magnates from
the Lords, magnates from the bench and magnates from the bar,
Bishop magnates, Treasury magnates, Horse Guard magnates, Admiralty
magnates,--all the magnates that keep us going, and sometimes trip us
up.

'I am told,' said Bishop magnate to Horse Guards, 'that Mr Merdle has
made another enormous hit. They say a hundred thousand pounds.'

Horse Guards had heard two.

Treasury had heard three.

Bar, handling his persuasive double eye-glass, was by no means clear but
that it might be four. It was one of those happy strokes of calculation
and combination, the result of which it was difficult to estimate. It
was one of those instances of a comprehensive grasp, associated with
habitual luck and characteristic boldness, of which an age presented us
but few. But here was Brother Bellows, who had been in the great Bank
case, and who could probably tell us more. What did Brother Bellows put
this new success at?

Brother Bellows was on his way to make his bow to the bosom, and could
only tell them in passing that he had heard it stated, with great
appearance of truth, as being worth, from first to last, half-a-million
of money.

Admiralty said Mr Merdle was a wonderful man, Treasury said he was a
new power in the country, and would be able to buy up the whole House of
Commons. Bishop said he was glad to think that this wealth flowed into
the coffers of a gentleman who was always disposed to maintain the best
interests of Society.

Mr Merdle himself was usually late on these occasions, as a man still
detained in the clutch of giant enterprises when other men had shaken
off their dwarfs for the day. On this occasion, he was th