I suppose you and papa will be very much dissatisfied. I hope papa won't refuse his consent. It can do no good. I am not going to remain as I am now all my life, and there is no use waiting any longer. It was papa who made me go to the Melmottes, who are not nearly so well placed as Mr Brehgert. Everybody knows that Madame Melmotte is a Jewess, and nobody knows what Mr Melmotte is. It is no good going on with the old thing when everything seems to be upset and at sixes and sevens. If papa has got to be so poor that he is obliged to let the house in town, one must of course expect to be different from what we were.
I hope you won't mind having me back the day after to-morrow,-- that is to-morrow, Wednesday. There is a party here to-night, and Mr Brehgert is coming. But I can't stay longer with Julia, who doesn't make herself nice, and I do not at all want to go back to the Melmottes. I fancy that there is something wrong between papa and Mr Melmotte.
Send the carriage to meet me by the 2.30 train from London,--and pray, mamma, don't scold when you see me, or have hysterics, or anything of that sort. Of course it isn't all nice, but things have got so that they never will be nice again. I shall tell Mr Brehgert to go to papa on Wednesday.
Your affectionate daughter, G.
When the morning came she desired the servant to take the letter away and have it posted, so that the temptation to stop it might no longer be in her way.
About one o'clock on that day Mr Longestaffe called at Lady Monogram's. The two ladies had breakfasted upstairs, and had only just met in the drawing-room when he came in. Georgiana trembled at first, but soon perceived that her father had as yet heard nothing of Mr Brehgert. She immediately told him that she proposed returning home on the following day. 'I am sick of the Melmottes,' she said.
'And so am I,' said Mr Longestaffe, with a serious countenance.
'We should have been delighted to have had Georgiana to stay with us a little longer,' said Lady Monogram; 'but we have but the one spare bedroom, and another friend is coming.' Georgiana, who knew both these statements to be false, declared that she wouldn't think of such a thing. 'We have a few friends corning to-night, Mr Longestaffe, and I hope you'll come in and see Georgiana.' Mr Longestaffe hummed and hawed and muttered something, as old gentlemen always do when they are asked to go out to parties after dinner. 'Mr Brehgert will be here,' continued Lady Monogram with a peculiar smile.