In which Lord Nidderdale and Marie Melmotte discuss their uncertain engagement with a frankness born of mutual resignation, while Mr. Melmotte confides in Nidderdale the strains and vicissitudes of his precarious financial dealings. Meanwhile, Dolly Longestaffe’s bitter accusations against Melmotte and the unease at the Beargarden club reveal a wider atmosphere of suspicion and anxious expectation among their circle.