'What I want to know is how are we to get the money,' said Dolly. 'I should like to see him hung of,--course; but I'd sooner have the money. Squercum says--'
'Adolphus, we don't want to know here what Mr Squercum says.'
'I don't know why what Mr Squercum says shouldn't be as good as what Mr Bideawhile says. Of course Squercum doesn't sound very aristocratic.'
'Quite as much so as Bideawhile, no doubt,' said the lawyer laughing.
'No; Squercum isn't aristocratic, and Fetter Lane is a good deal lower than Lincoln's Inn. Nevertheless Squercum may know what he's about. It was Squercum who was first down upon Melmotte in this matter, and if it wasn't for Squercum we shouldn't know as much about it as we do at present.' Squercum's name was odious to the elder Longestaffe. He believed, probably without much reason, that all his family troubles came to him from Squercum, thinking that if his son would have left his affairs in the hands of the old Slows and the old Bideawhiles, money would never have been scarce with him, and that he would not have made this terrible blunder about the Pickering property. And the sound of Squercum, as his son knew, was horrid to his ears. He hummed and hawed, and fumed and fretted about the room, shaking his head and frowning. His son looked at him as though quite astonished at his displeasure. 'There's nothing more to be done here, sir, I suppose,' said Dolly putting on his hat.
'Nothing more,' said Mr Bideawhile. 'It may be that I shall have to instruct counsel, and I thought it well that I should see in the presence of both of you exactly how the thing stood. You speak so positively, Mr Longestaffe, that there can be no doubt?'
'There is no doubt.'
'And now perhaps you had better lock the drawer in our presence. Stop a moment--I might as well see whether there is any sign of violence having been used.' So saying Mr Bideawhile knelt down in front of the table and began to examine the lock. This he did very carefully and satisfied himself that there was 'no sign of violence.' 'Whoever has done it, did it very well,' said Bideawhile.
'Of course Melmotte did it,' said Dolly Longestaffe standing immediately over Bideawhile's shoulder.
At that moment there was a knock at the door,--a very distinct, and, we may say, a formal knock. There are those who knock and immediately enter without waiting for the sanction asked. Had he who knocked done so on this occasion Mr Bideawhile would have been found still on his knees, with his nose down to the level of the keyhole. But the intruder did not intrude rapidly, and the lawyer jumped on to his feet, almost upsetting Dolly with the effort. There was a pause, during which Mr Bideawhile moved away from the table,--as he might have done had he been picking a lock;--and then Mr Longestaffe bade the stranger come in with a sepulchral voice. The door was opened, and Mr Melmotte appeared.