On the Monday afternoon Melmotte met Lord Nidderdale in the lobby of the House. 'Have you seen Marie lately?' he said. Nidderdale had been assured that morning, by his father's lawyer, in his father's presence, that if he married Miss Melmotte at present he would undoubtedly become possessed of an income amounting to something over £5,000 a year. He had intended to get more than that,--and was hardly prepared to accept Marie at such a price; but then there probably would be more. No doubt there was a difficulty about Pickering. Melmotte certainly had been raising money. But this might probably be an affair of a few weeks. Melmotte had declared that Pickering should be made over to the young people at the marriage. His father had recommended him to get the girl to name a day. The marriage could be broken off at the last day if the property were not forthcoming.
'I'm going up to your house almost immediately,' said Nidderdale.
'You'll find the women at tea to a certainty between five and six,' said Melmotte.