were to be at once handed to himself.  The father could not bring himself to consent to this, but, while refusing it, found the troubles of the world very hard upon him.  Melmotte had done something for him,—­but in doing this Melmotte was very hard and tyrannical.  Melmotte, when at Caversham, had looked into his affairs, and had told him very plainly that with such an establishment in the country he was not entitled to keep a house in town.  Mr Longestaffe had then said something about his daughters,—­something especially about Georgiana,—­and Mr Melmotte had made a suggestion.

Mr Longestaffe, when he read his daughter’s appeal, did feel for her, in spite of his anger.  But if there was one man he hated more than another, it was his neighbour Mr Primero...