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 be liable to the ordinary fluctuations of commercial enterprise.'