valuable considerations, Lady Monogram was to undertake to chaperon
Miss Longestaffe at the entertainment, to take Miss Longestaffe as a
visitor for three days, and to have one party at her own house during
the time, so that it might be seen that Miss Longestaffe had other
friends in London besides the Melmottes on whom to depend for her
London gaieties. At this moment Miss Longestaffe felt herself
justified in treating the matter as though she were hardly receiving a
fair equivalent. The Melmotte tickets were certainly ruling very high.
They had just culminated. They fell a little soon afterwards, and at
ten p.m. on the night of the entertainment were hardly worth anything.
At the moment which we have now in hand, there was a rush for them.
Lady Monogram had already secured the tickets. They were in her desk.
But, as will sometimes be the case in a bargain, the seller was
complaining that as she had parted with her goods too cheap, some
make-weight should be added to the stipulated price.

'As for that, my dear,' said Miss Longestaffe, who, since the rise in
Melmotte stock generally, had endeavoured to resume something of her
old manners, 'I don't see what you mean at all. You meet Lady Julia
Goldsheiner everywhere, and her father-in-law is Mr Brehgert's junior
partner.'

'Lady Julia is Lady Julia, my dear, and young Mr Goldsheiner has, in
some sort of way, got himself in. He hunts, and Damask says that he is
one of the best shots at Hurlingham. I never met old Mr Goldsheiner
anywhere.'

'I have.'

'Oh, yes, I dare say. Mr Melmotte, of course, entertains all the City
people. I don't think Sir Damask would like me to ask Mr Brehgert to
dine here.' Lady Monogram managed everything herself with reference to
her own parties; invited all her own guests, and never troubled Sir
Damask,--who, again, on his side, had his own set of friends; but she
was very clever in the use which she made of her husband. There were
some aspirants who really were taught to think that Sir Damask was
very particular as to the guests whom he welcomed to his own house.

'May I speak to Sir Damask about it?' asked Miss Longestaffe, who was
very urgent on the occasion.

'Well, my dear, I really don't think you ought to do that. There are
little things which a man and his wife must manage together without
interference.'

'Nobody can ever say that I interfered in any family. But really,
Julia, when you tell me that Sir Damask cannot receive