“Make haste, sir,” said Mr. Pole.  “And, stop.  You shall go, yourself; go to the pit, and have a supper, and I’ll pay for it.  When you’ve ordered the box—­do you know the Bedford Hotel?  Go there, and see Mrs. Chickley, and tell her I am coming to dine and sleep, and shall bring one of my daughters.  Dinner, sittingroom, and two bed-rooms, mind.  And tell Mrs. Chickley we’ve got no carpet-bag, and must come upon her wardrobe.  All clear to you?  Dinner at half-past five going to theatre.”

Braintop bowed comprehendingly.

“Now, that fellow goes off chirping,” said Mr. Pole to Emilia.  “It’s just the thing I used to wish to happen to me, when I was his age—­my master to call me in and say “There! go and be jolly.”  I dare say the rascal’ll order a champagne supper.  Poor young chap! let his heart be merry.  Ha! ha! heigho!—­Too much business is bad for man and boy.  I feel better already, if it weren’t for my legs.  My feet are so cold.  Don’t you think I’m pretty talkative, my dear?”

“I am glad to hear you talk,” said Emilia, striving to look less perplexed than she felt.

He asked her slyly why she had come to London; and she begged that she might speak of it by-and-by; whereat Mr. Pole declared that he intended to laugh them all out of that nonsense.  “And what did you say about being in love with him?  A doctor in good practice—­but you needn’t commence by killing me if you do go and marry the fellow.  Eh? what is it?”

Emilia was too much entangled herself to attempt to extricate him; and apparently his wish to be enlightened passed away, for he was the next instant searching among his papers for the letter from Riga.  Not finding it, he put on his hat.

“Must give up business to-day.  Can’t do business with a petticoat in the room.  I wish the Lord Mayor’d stop them all at Temple Bar.  Now we’ll go out, and I’ll show you a bit of the City.”

He offered her his arm, and she noticed that in walking through the office, he was erect, and the few words he spoke were delivered in the peremptory elastic tone of a vigorous man.

“My girls,” he said to her in an undertone, “never come here.  Well! we don’t expect ladies, you know.  Different spheres in this world.  They mean to be tip-top in society; and quite right too.  My dear, I think we’ll ride.  Do you mind being seen in a cab?”

He asked her hesitatingly:  and when Emilia said, “Oh, no! let us ride,” he seemed relieved.  “I can’t see the harm in a cab.  Different tastes, in this world.  My girls—­but, thank the Lord! they’ve got carriages.”

For an hour the merchant and Emilia drove about the City.  He showed her all the great buildings, and dilated on the fabulous piles of wealth they represented, taking evident pleasure in her exclamations of astonishment.

“Yes, yes; they may despise us City fellows.  I say, ’Come and see”:  that’s all!  Now, look up that court.  Do you see three dusty windows on the second floor?  That man there could buy up any ten princes in Europe —­excepting one or two Austrians or Russians.  He wears a coat just like mine.”