e brought with
him the deeds which it would be necessary that Marie should sign, and
he brought also Mr Croll, his clerk, that Mr Croll might witness the
signature.

When he left the Longestaffes and Mr Bideawhile he went at once to his
wife's room. 'Is she here?' he asked.

'I will send for her. I have told her.'

'You haven't frightened her?'

'Why should I frighten her? It is not very easy to frighten her,
Melmotte. She is changed since these young men have been so much about
her.'

'I shall frighten her if she does not do as I bid her. Bid her come
now.' This was said in French. Then Madame Melmotte left the room, and
Melmotte arranged a lot of papers in order upon a table. Having done
so, he called to Croll, who was standing on the landing-place, and
told him to seat himself in the back drawing-room till he should be
called. Melmotte then stood with his back to the fireplace in his
wife's sitting-room, with his hands in his pockets, contemplating what
might be the incidents of the coming interview. He would be very
gracious,--affectionate if it were possible,--and, above all things,
explanatory. But, by heavens, if there were continued opposition to
his demand,--to his just demand,--if this girl should dare to insist
upon exercising her power to rob him, he would not then be affectionate
nor gracious! There was some little delay in the coming of the two
women, and he was already beginning to lose his temper when Marie
followed Madame Melmotte into the room. He at once swallowed his rising
anger with an effort. He would put a constraint upon himself The
affection and the graciousness should be all there,--as long as they
might secure the purpose in hand.

'Marie,' he began, 'I spoke to you the other day about some property
which for certain purposes was placed in your name just as we were
leaving Paris.'

'Yes, papa.'

'You were such a child then,--I mean when we left Paris,--that I could
hardly explain to you the purpose of what I did.'

'I understood it, papa.'

'You had better listen to me, my dear. I don't think you did quite
understand it. It would have been very odd if you had, as I never
explained it to you.'

'You wanted to keep it from going away if you got into trouble.'

This was so true that Melmotte did not know how at the moment to
contradict the assertion. And yet he had not intended to talk of the
possibility of trouble. 'I wanted to lay aside a large sum of money
which should not b