In the meantime another scene was being acted in the room below. Melmotte after he reached the room hardly made a reference to his daughter,--merely saying that nothing would overcome her wicked obstinacy. He made no allusion to his own violence, nor had Croll the courage to expostulate with him now that the immediate danger was over. The Great Financier again arranged the papers, just as they had been laid out before,--as though he thought that the girl might be brought down to sign them there. And then he went on to explain to Croll what he had wanted to have done,--how necessary it was that the thing should be done, and how terribly cruel it was to him that in such a crisis of his life he should be hampered, impeded,--he did not venture to his clerk to say ruined,--by the ill-conditioned obstinacy of a girl! He explained very fully how absolutely the property was his own, how totally the girl was without any right to withhold it from him! How monstrous in its injustice was the present position of things! In all this Croll fully agreed. Then Melmotte went on to declare that he would not feel the slightest scruple in writing Marie's signature to the papers himself. He was the girl's father and was justified in acting for her. 
In the meantime, in the room below, Melmotte hardly made a reference to his daughter, merely saying that nothing would overcome her wicked obstinacy. Croll did not have the courage to expostulate with him.
Melmotte again laid out the papers, as though he thought that the girl might be brought down to sign them. He explained to Croll how necessary it was that the thing should be done, and how terribly cruel it was that he should be hampered - he did not say ruined to his clerk - by the obstinacy of a girl! He explained how totally the girl was without any right to withhold his own property from him.
Then Melmotte declared that he would not feel the slightest scruple in writing Marie's signature himself. He was the girl's father and was justified in acting for her. 