 was there; and his eye
was a basilisk to Mr. Merdle. He was a hard man, and would never bate an ounce
of plate or a bottle of wine. He would not allow a dinner to be given, unless it
was up to his mark. He set forth the table for his own dignity. If the guests
chose to partake of what was served, he saw no objection; but it was served for
the maintenance of his rank. As he stood by the sideboard he seemed to announce,
»I have accepted office to look at this which is now before me, and to look at
nothing less than this.« If he missed the presiding bosom, it was as a part of
his own state of which he was, from unavoidable circumstances, temporarily
deprived. Just as he might have missed a centre-piece, or a choice wine-cooler,
which had been sent to the Banker's.
    Mr. Merdle issued invitations for a Barnacle dinner. Lord Decimus was to be
there, Mr. Tite Barnacle was to be there, the pleasant young Barnacle was to be
there; and the Chorus of Parliamentary Barnacles who went about the provinces
when the House was up, warbling the praises of their Chief, were to be
represented there. It was understood to be a great occasion. Mr. Merdle was
going to take up the Barnacles. Some delicate little negotiations had occurred
between him and the noble Decimus - the young Barnacle of engaging manners
acting as negotiator - and Mr. Merdle had decided to cast the weight of his
great probity and great riches into the Barnacle scale. Jobbery was suspected by
the malicious; perhaps because it was indisputable that if the adherence of the
immortal Enemy of Mankind could have been secured by a job, the Barnacles would
have jobbed him - for the good of the country, for the good of the country.
    Mrs. Merdle had written to this magnificent spouse of hers, whom it was
heresy to regard as anything less than all the British Merchants since the days
of Whittington rolled into one, and gilded three feet deep all over - had
written to this spouse of hers, several letters from Rome, in quick succession,
urging upon him with importunity that now or never was the time to provide for
Edmund Sparkler. Mrs. Merdle had shown him that the case of Edmund was urgent,
and that infinite advantages might result from his having some good thing
directly. In the grammar of Mrs. Merdle's verbs on this momentous subject, there
was only one Mood, the Imperative; and that Mood had only one Tense,
