reasury felt--he gave Mr
Merdle to understand--patriotic on the subject.

'Thank you, my lord,' said Mr Merdle; 'thank you. I accept your
congratulations with pride, and I am glad you approve.'

'Why, I don't unreservedly approve, my dear Mr Merdle. Because,'
smiling Treasury turned him by the arm towards the sideboard and spoke
banteringly, 'it never can be worth your while to come among us and help
us.'

Mr Merdle felt honoured by the--

'No, no,' said Treasury, 'that is not the light in which one so
distinguished for practical knowledge and great foresight, can be
expected to regard it. If we should ever be happily enabled, by
accidentally possessing the control over circumstances, to propose
to one so eminent to--to come among us, and give us the weight of his
influence, knowledge, and character, we could only propose it to him as
a duty. In fact, as a duty that he owed to Society.'

Mr Merdle intimated that Society was the apple of his eye, and that its
claims were paramount to every other consideration. Treasury moved
on, and Bar came up. Bar, with his little insinuating jury droop, and
fingering his persuasive double eye-glass, hoped he might be excused if
he mentioned to one of the greatest converters of the root of all evil
into the root of all good, who had for a long time reflected a shining
lustre on the annals even of our commercial country--if he mentioned,
disinterestedly, and as, what we lawyers called in our pedantic way,
amicus curiae, a fact that had come by accident within his knowledge. He
had been required to look over the title of a very considerable estate
in one of the eastern counties--lying, in fact, for Mr Merdle knew we
lawyers loved to be particular, on the borders of two of the eastern
counties. Now, the title was perfectly sound, and the estate was to
be purchased by one who had the command of--Money (jury droop and
persuasive eye-glass), on remarkably advantageous terms. This had come
to Bar's knowledge only that day, and it had occurred to him, 'I
shall have the honour of dining with my esteemed friend Mr Merdle
this evening, and, strictly between ourselves, I will mention the
opportunity.' Such a purchase would involve not only a great legitimate
political influence, but some half-dozen church presentations of
considerable annual value. Now, that Mr Merdle was already at no loss
to discover means of occupying even his capital, and of fully employing
even his active and vigorous i