All this time Mr Longestaffe was necessarily detained in London while the three ladies of his family were living forlornly at Caversham. He had taken his younger daughter home on the day after his visit to Lady Monogram, and in all his intercourse with her had spoken of her suggested marriage with Mr Brehgert as a thing utterly out of the question. Georgiana had made one little fight for her independence at the Jermyn Street Hotel. 'Indeed, papa, I think it's very hard,' she said.
'What's hard? I think a great many things are hard; but I have to bear them.'
'You can do nothing for me.'
'Do nothing for you! Haven't you got a home to live in, and clothes to wear, and a carriage to go about in,--and books to read if you choose to read them? What do you expect?'
'You know, papa, that's nonsense.'
'How do you dare to tell me that what I say is nonsense?'
'Of course there's a house to live in and clothes to wear; but what's to be the end of it? Sophia, I suppose, is going to be married.'
'I am happy to say she is,--to a most respectable young man and a thorough gentleman.'
'And Dolly has his own way of going on.'
'You have nothing to do with Adolphus.'
'Nor will he have anything to do with me. If I don't marry what's to become of me? It isn't that Mr Brehgert is the sort of man I should choose.'
'Do not mention his name to me.'
'But what am I to do? You give up the house in town, and how am I to see people? It was you sent me to Mr Melmotte.'
'I didn't send you to Mr Melmotte.'
'It was at your suggestion I went there, papa. And of course I could only see the people he had there. I like nice people as well as anybody.'
'There's no use talking any more about it.'
'I don't see that. I must talk about it, and think about it too. If I can put up with Mr Brehgert I don't see why you and mamma should complain.'
'A Jew!'
'People don't think about that as they used to, papa. He has a very fine income, and I should always have a house in--'
Then Mr Longestaffe became so furious and loud, that he stopped her for that time. 'Look here,' he said, 'if you mean to tell me that you will marry that man without my consent, I can't prevent it. But you shall not marry him as my daughter. You shall be turned out of my house, and I will never have your name pronounced in my presence again. It is disgusting, degrading,--disgraceful!' And then he left her.