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While Nicholas, absorbed in the one engrossing subject of interest whichhad recently opened upon him, occupied his leisure hours with thoughtsof Madeline Bray, and in execution of the commissions which the anxietyof brother Charles in her behalf imposed upon him, saw her again andagain, and each time with greater danger to his peace of mind and a moreweakening effect upon the lofty resolutions he had formed, Mrs Nicklebyand Kate continued to live in peace and quiet, agitated by no othercares than those which were connected with certain harassing proceedingstaken by Mr Snawley for the recovery of his son, and their anxiety forSmike himself, whose health, long upon the wane, began to be so muchaffected by apprehension and uncertainty as sometimes to occasion boththem and Nicholas considerable uneasiness, and even alarm.

It was no complaint or murmur on the part of the poor fellow himselfthat thus disturbed them. Ever eager to be employed in such slightservices as he could render, and always anxious to repay his benefactorswith cheerful and happy looks, less friendly eyes might have seen in himno cause for any misgiving. But there were times, and often too, whenthe sunken eye was too bright, the hollow cheek too flushed, the breathtoo thick and heavy in its course, the frame too feeble and exhausted,to escape their regard and notice.

There is a dread disease which so prepares its victim, as it were, fordeath; which so refines it of its grosser aspect, and throws aroundfamiliar looks unearthly indications of the coming change; a dreaddisease, in which the struggle between soul and body is so gradual,quiet, and solemn, and the result so sure, that day by day, and grain bygrain, the mortal part wastes and withers away, so that the spirit growslight and sanguine with its lightening load, and, feeling immortality athand, deems it but a new term of mortal life; a disease in which deathand life are so strangely blended, that death takes the glow and hueof life, and life the gaunt and grisly form of death; a disease whichmedicine never cured, wealth never warded off, or poverty could boastexemption from; which sometimes moves in giant strides, and sometimes ata tardy sluggish pace, but, slow or quick, is ever sure and certain.

It was with some faint reference in his own mind to this disorder,though he would by no means admit it, even to himself, that Nicholas hadalready carried his faithful companion to a physician of great repute.There was no cause for immediate alarm, he said. There were no presentsymptoms which could be deemed conclusive. The constitution had beengreatly tried and injured in childhood, but still it MIGHT not be--andthat was all.

But he seemed to grow no worse, and, as it was not difficult to find areason for these symptoms of illness in the shock and agitation he hadrecently undergone, Nicholas comforted himself with the hope that hispoor friend would soon recover. This hope his mother and sister sharedwith him; and as the object of their joint solicitude seemed to haveno uneasiness or despondency for himself, but each day answered with aquiet smile that he felt better than he had upon the day before, theirfears abated, and the general happiness was by degrees restored.

Many and many a time in after years did Nicholas look back to thisperiod of his life, and tread again the humble quiet homely scenes thatrose up as of old before him. Many and many a time, in the twilight of asummer evening, or beside the flickering winter's fire--but not so oftenor so sadly then--would his thoughts wander back to these old days, anddwell with a pleasant sorrow upon every slight remembrance which theybrought crowding home. The little room in which they had so often satlong after it was dark, figuring such happy futures; Kate's cheerfulvoice and merry laugh; how, if she were from home, they used to sit andwatch for her return scarcely breaking silence but to say how dull itseemed without her; the glee with which poor Smike would start from thedarkened corner where he used to sit, and hurry to admit her, and thetears they often saw upon his face, half wondering to see them too, andhe so pleased and happy; every little incident, and even slight wordsand looks of those old days little heeded then, but well remembered whenbusy cares and trials were quite forgotten, came fresh and thick beforehim many and many a time, and, rustling above the dusty growth of years,came back green boughs of yesterday.

But there were other persons associated with these recollections, andmany changes came about before they had being. A necessary reflectionfor the purposes of these adventures, which at once subside into theiraccustomed train, and shunning all flighty anticipations or waywardwanderings, pursue their steady and decorous course.

If the brothers Cheeryble, as they found Nicholas worthy of trust andconfidence, bestowed upon him every day some new and substantial markof kindness, they were not less mindful of those who depended on him.Various little presents to Mrs Nickleby, always of the very thingsthey most required, tended in no slight degree to the improvement andembellishment of the cottage. Kate's little store of trinkets becamequite dazzling; and for company! If brother Charles and brother Nedfailed to look in for at least a few minutes every Sunday, or oneevening in the week, there was Mr Tim Linkinwater (who had never madehalf-a-dozen other acquaintances in all his life, and who took suchdelight in his new friends as no words can express) constantly comingand going in his evening walks, and stopping to rest; while Mr FrankCheeryble happened, by some strange conjunction of circumstances, to bepassing the door on some business or other at least three nights in theweek.

'He is the most attentive young man I ever saw, Kate,' said Mrs Nicklebyto her daughter one evening, when this last-named gentleman had been thesubject of the worthy lady's eulogium for some time, and Kate had satperfectly silent.

'Attentive, mama!' rejoined Kate.

'Bless my heart, Kate!' cried Mrs Nickleby, with her wonted suddenness,'what a colour you have got; why, you're quite flushed!'

'Oh, mama! what strange things you fancy!'

'It wasn't fancy, Kate, my dear, I'm certain of that,' returned hermother. 'However, it's gone now at any rate, so it don't much matterwhether it was or not. What was it we were talking about? Oh! Mr Frank.I never saw such attention in MY life, never.'

'Surely you are not serious,' returned Kate, colouring again; and thistime beyond all dispute.

'Not serious!' returned Mrs Nickleby; 'why shouldn't I be serious?I'm sure I never was more serious. I will say that his politeness andattention to me is one of the most becoming, gratifying, pleasantthings I have seen for a very long time. You don't often meet with suchbehaviour in young men, and it strikes one more when one does meet withit.'

'Oh! attention to YOU, mama,' rejoined Kate quickly--'oh yes.'

'Dear me, Kate,' retorted Mrs Nickleby, 'what an extraordinary girl youare! Was it likely I should be talking of his attention to anybody else?I declare I'm quite sorry to think he should be in love with a Germanlady, that I am.'

'He said very positively that it was no such thing, mama,' returnedKate. 'Don't you remember his saying so that very first night he camehere? Besides,' she added, in a more gentle tone, 'why should WE besorry if it is the case? What is it to us, mama?'

'Nothing to US, Kate, perhaps,' said Mrs Nickleby, emphatically; 'butsomething to ME, I confess. I like English people to be thorough Englishpeople, and not half English and half I don't know what. I shall tellhim point-blank next time he comes, that I wish he would marry one ofhis own country-women; and see what he says to that.'

'Pray don't think of such a thing, mama,' returned Kate, hastily; 'notfor the world. Consider. How very--'

'Well, my dear, how very what?' said Mrs Nickleby, opening her eyes ingreat astonishment.

Before Kate had returned any reply, a queer little double knockannounced that Miss La Creevy had called to see them; and when Miss LaCreevy presented herself, Mrs Nickleby, though strongly disposed to beargumentative on the previous question, forgot all about it in a gushof supposes about the coach she had come by; supposing that the man whodrove must have been either the man in the shirt-sleeves or the man withthe black eye; that whoever he was, he hadn't found that parasol sheleft inside last week; that no doubt they had stopped a long while atthe Halfway House, coming down; or that perhaps being full, they hadcome straight on; and, lastly, that they, surely, must have passedNicholas on the road.

'I saw nothing of him,' answered Miss La Creevy; 'but I saw that dearold soul Mr Linkinwater.'

'Taking his evening walk, and coming on to rest here, before he turnsback to the city, I'll be bound!' said Mrs Nickleby.

'I should think he was,' returned Miss La Creevy; 'especially as youngMr Cheeryble was with him.'

'Surely that is no reason why Mr Linkinwater should be coming here,'said Kate.

'Why I think it is, my dear,' said Miss La Creevy. 'For a young man, MrFrank is not a very great walker; and I observe that he generally fallstired, and requires a good long rest, when he has come as far as this.But where is my friend?' said the little woman, looking about, afterhaving glanced slyly at Kate. 'He has not been run away with again, hashe?'

'Ah! where is Mr Smike?' said Mrs Nickleby; 'he was here this instant.'

Upon further inquiry, it turned out, to the good lady's unboundedastonishment, that Smike had, that moment, gone upstairs to bed.

'Well now,' said Mrs Nickleby, 'he is the strangest creature! LastTuesday--was it Tuesday? Yes, to be sure it was; you recollect, Kate, mydear, the very last time young Mr Cheeryble was here--last Tuesday nighthe went off in just the same strange way, at the very moment the knockcame to the door. It cannot be that he don't like company, because he isalways fond of people who are fond of Nicholas, and I am sure young MrCheeryble is. And the strangest thing is, that he does not go to bed;therefore it cannot be because he is tired. I know he doesn't go to bed,because my room is the next one, and when I went upstairs last Tuesday,hours after him, I found that he had not even taken his shoes off; andhe had no candle, so he must have sat moping in the dark all the time.Now, upon my word,' said Mrs Nickleby, 'when I come to think of it,that's very extraordinary!'

As the hearers did not echo this sentiment, but remained profoundlysilent, either as not knowing what to say, or as being unwilling tointerrupt, Mrs Nickleby pursued the thread of her discourse after herown fashion.

'I hope,' said that lady, 'that this unaccountable conduct may not bethe beginning of his taking to his bed and living there all his life,like the Thirsty Woman of Tutbury, or the Cock-lane Ghost, or some ofthose extraordinary creatures. One of them had some connection withour family. I forget, without looking back to some old letters I haveupstairs, whether it was my great-grandfather who went to school withthe Cock-lane Ghost, or the Thirsty Woman of Tutbury who went to schoolwith my grandmother. Miss La Creevy, you know, of course. Which was itthat didn't mind what the clergyman said? The Cock-lane Ghost or theThirsty Woman of Tutbury?'

'The Cock-lane Ghost, I believe.'

'Then I have no doubt,' said Mrs Nickleby, 'that it was with him mygreat-grandfather went to school; for I know the master of his schoolwas a dissenter, and that would, in a great measure, account for theCock-lane Ghost's behaving in such an improper manner to the clergymanwhen he grew up. Ah! Train up a Ghost--child, I mean--'

Any further reflections on this fruitful theme were abruptly cut shortby the arrival of Tim Linkinwater and Mr Frank Cheeryble; in the hurryof receiving whom, Mrs Nickleby speedily lost sight of everything else.

'I am so sorry Nicholas is not at home,' said Mrs Nickleby. 'Kate, mydear, you must be both Nicholas and yourself.'

'Miss Nickleby need be but herself,' said Frank. 'I--if I may venture tosay so--oppose all change in her.'

'Then at all events she shall press you to stay,' returned Mrs Nickleby.'Mr Linkinwater says ten minutes, but I cannot let you go so soon;Nicholas would be very much vexed, I am sure. Kate, my dear!'

In obedience to a great number of nods, and winks, and frowns of extrasignificance, Kate added her entreaties that the visitors would remain;but it was observable that she addressed them exclusively to TimLinkinwater; and there was, besides, a certain embarrassment in hermanner, which, although it was as far from impairing its gracefulcharacter as the tinge it communicated to her cheek was from diminishingher beauty, was obvious at a glance even to Mrs Nickleby. Not being ofa very speculative character, however, save under circumstances when herspeculations could be put into words and uttered aloud, that discreetmatron attributed the emotion to the circumstance of her daughter'snot happening to have her best frock on: 'though I never saw her lookbetter, certainly,' she reflected at the same time. Having settled thequestion in this way, and being most complacently satisfied that inthis, and in all other instances, her conjecture could not fail to bethe right one, Mrs Nickleby dismissed it from her thoughts, and inwardlycongratulated herself on being so shrewd and knowing.

Nicholas did not come home nor did Smike reappear; but neithercircumstance, to say the truth, had any great effect upon the littleparty, who were all in the best humour possible. Indeed, there sprung upquite a flirtation between Miss La Creevy and Tim Linkinwater, who saida thousand jocose and facetious things, and became, by degrees, quitegallant, not to say tender. Little Miss La Creevy, on her part, was inhigh spirits, and rallied Tim on having remained a bachelor all his lifewith so much success, that Tim was actually induced to declare, thatif he could get anybody to have him, he didn't know but what he mightchange his condition even yet. Miss La Creevy earnestly recommended alady she knew, who would exactly suit Mr Linkinwater, and had a verycomfortable property of her own; but this latter qualification had verylittle effect upon Tim, who manfully protested that fortune would beno object with him, but that true worth and cheerfulness of dispositionwere what a man should look for in a wife, and that if he had these, hecould find money enough for the moderate wants of both. This avowal wasconsidered so honourable to Tim, that neither Mrs Nickleby nor Miss LaCreevy could sufficiently extol it; and stimulated by their praises,Tim launched out into several other declarations also manifesting thedisinterestedness of his heart, and a great devotion to the fair sex:which were received with no less approbation. This was done and saidwith a comical mixture of jest and earnest, and, leading to a greatamount of laughter, made them very merry indeed.

Kate was commonly the life and soul of the conversation at home; but shewas more silent than usual upon this occasion (perhaps because Tim andMiss La Creevy engrossed so much of it), and, keeping aloof from thetalkers, sat at the window watching the shadows as the evening closedin, and enjoying the quiet beauty of the night, which seemed to havescarcely less attractions to Frank, who first lingered near, and thensat down beside, her. No doubt, there are a great many things to be saidappropriate to a summer evening, and no doubt they are best said in alow voice, as being most suitable to the peace and serenity of the hour;long pauses, too, at times, and then an earnest word or so, and thenanother interval of silence which, somehow, does not seem like silenceeither, and perhaps now and then a hasty turning away of the head, ordrooping of the eyes towards the ground, all these minor circumstances,with a disinclination to have candles introduced and a tendency toconfuse hours with minutes, are doubtless mere influences of the time,as many lovely lips can clearly testify. Neither is there the slightestreason why Mrs Nickleby should have expressed surprise when, candlesbeing at length brought in, Kate's bright eyes were unable to bear thelight which obliged her to avert her face, and even to leave the roomfor some short time; because, when one has sat in the dark so long,candles ARE dazzling, and nothing can be more strictly natural than thatsuch results should be produced, as all well-informed young people know.For that matter, old people know it too, or did know it once, but theyforget these things sometimes, and more's the pity.

The good lady's surprise, however, did not end here. It was greatlyincreased when it was discovered that Kate had not the least appetitefor supper: a discovery so alarming that there is no knowing in whatunaccountable efforts of oratory Mrs Nickleby's apprehensions might havebeen vented, if the general attention had not been attracted, at themoment, by a very strange and uncommon noise, proceeding, as the paleand trembling servant girl affirmed, and as everybody's sense of hearingseemed to affirm also, 'right down' the chimney of the adjoining room.

It being quite plain to the comprehension of all present that, howeverextraordinary and improbable it might appear, the noise did neverthelessproceed from the chimney in question; and the noise (which was a strangecompound of various shuffling, sliding, rumbling, and struggling sounds,all muffled by the chimney) still continuing, Frank Cheeryble caughtup a candle, and Tim Linkinwater the tongs, and they would have veryquickly ascertained the cause of this disturbance if Mrs Nicklebyhad not been taken very faint, and declined being left behind, on anyaccount. This produced a short remonstrance, which terminated in theirall proceeding to the troubled chamber in a body, excepting only Miss LaCreevy, who, as the servant girl volunteered a confession of having beensubject to fits in her infancy, remained with her to give the alarm andapply restoratives, in case of extremity.

Advancing to the door of the mysterious apartment, they were nota little surprised to hear a human voice, chanting with a highlyelaborated expression of melancholy, and in tones of suffocation whicha human voice might have produced from under five or six feather-bedsof the best quality, the once popular air of 'Has she then failed inher truth, the beautiful maid I adore?' Nor, on bursting into the roomwithout demanding a parley, was their astonishment lessened by thediscovery that these romantic sounds certainly proceeded from the throatof some man up the chimney, of whom nothing was visible but a pair oflegs, which were dangling above the grate; apparently feeling, withextreme anxiety, for the top bar whereon to effect a landing.

A sight so unusual and unbusiness-like as this, completely paralysedTim Linkinwater, who, after one or two gentle pinches at the stranger'sankles, which were productive of no effect, stood clapping the tongstogether, as if he were sharpening them for another assault, and didnothing else.

'This must be some drunken fellow,' said Frank. 'No thief would announcehis presence thus.'

As he said this, with great indignation, he raised the candle to obtaina better view of the legs, and was darting forward to pull them downwith very little ceremony, when Mrs Nickleby, clasping her hands,uttered a sharp sound, something between a scream and an exclamation,and demanded to know whether the mysterious limbs were not clad insmall-clothes and grey worsted stockings, or whether her eyes haddeceived her.

'Yes,' cried Frank, looking a little closer. 'Small-clothes certainly,and--and--rough grey stockings, too. Do you know him, ma'am?'

'Kate, my dear,' said Mrs Nickleby, deliberately sitting herself downin a chair with that sort of desperate resignation which seemed to implythat now matters had come to a crisis, and all disguise was useless,'you will have the goodness, my love, to explain precisely how thismatter stands. I have given him no encouragement--none whatever--not theleast in the world. You know that, my dear, perfectly well. He was veryrespectful, exceedingly respectful, when he declared, as you were awitness to; still at the same time, if I am to be persecuted in thisway, if vegetable what's-his-names and all kinds of garden-stuff areto strew my path out of doors, and gentlemen are to come choking up ourchimneys at home, I really don't know--upon my word I do NOT know--whatis to become of me. It's a very hard case--harder than anything I wasever exposed to, before I married your poor dear papa, though I suffereda good deal of annoyance then--but that, of course, I expected, and madeup my mind for. When I was not nearly so old as you, my dear, therewas a young gentleman who sat next us at church, who used, almost everySunday, to cut my name in large letters in the front of his pew whilethe sermon was going on. It was gratifying, of course, naturally so,but still it was an annoyance, because the pew was in a very conspicuousplace, and he was several times publicly taken out by the beadle fordoing it. But that was nothing to this. This is a great deal worse, anda great deal more embarrassing. I would rather, Kate, my dear,' saidMrs Nickleby, with great solemnity, and an effusion of tears: 'I wouldrather, I declare, have been a pig-faced lady, than be exposed to such alife as this!'

Frank Cheeryble and Tim Linkinwater looked, in irrepressibleastonishment, first at each other and then at Kate, who felt that someexplanation was necessary, but who, between her terror at the apparitionof the legs, her fear lest their owner should be smothered, and heranxiety to give the least ridiculous solution of the mystery that it wascapable of bearing, was quite unable to utter a single word.

'He gives me great pain,' continued Mrs Nickleby, drying her eyes,'great pain; but don't hurt a hair of his head, I beg. On no accounthurt a hair of his head.'

It would not, under existing circumstances, have been quite so easy tohurt a hair of the gentleman's head as Mrs Nickleby seemed to imagine,inasmuch as that part of his person was some feet up the chimney, whichwas by no means a wide one. But, as all this time he had never left offsinging about the bankruptcy of the beautiful maid in respect of truth,and now began not only to croak very feebly, but to kick with greatviolence as if respiration became a task of difficulty, Frank Cheeryble,without further hesitation, pulled at the shorts and worsteds withsuch heartiness as to bring him floundering into the room with greaterprecipitation than he had quite calculated upon.

'Oh! yes, yes,' said Kate, directly the whole figure of this singularvisitor appeared in this abrupt manner. 'I know who it is. Pray don't berough with him. Is he hurt? I hope not. Oh, pray see if he is hurt.'

'He is not, I assure you,' replied Frank, handling the object of hissurprise, after this appeal, with sudden tenderness and respect. 'He isnot hurt in the least.'

'Don't let him come any nearer,' said Kate, retiring as far as shecould.

'Oh, no, he shall not,' rejoined Frank. 'You see I have him secure here.But may I ask you what this means, and whether you expected this oldgentleman?'

'Oh, no,' said Kate, 'of course not; but he--mama does not think so, Ibelieve--but he is a mad gentleman who has escaped from the next house,and must have found an opportunity of secreting himself here.'

'Kate,' interposed Mrs Nickleby with severe dignity, 'I am surprised atyou.'

'Dear mama,' Kate gently remonstrated.

'I am surprised at you,' repeated Mrs Nickleby; 'upon my word, Kate,I am quite astonished that you should join the persecutors of thisunfortunate gentleman, when you know very well that they have the basestdesigns upon his property, and that that is the whole secret of it. Itwould be much kinder of you, Kate, to ask Mr Linkinwater or Mr Cheerybleto interfere in his behalf, and see him righted. You ought not to allowyour feelings to influence you; it's not right, very far from it. Whatshould my feelings be, do you suppose? If anybody ought to be indignant,who is it? I, of course, and very properly so. Still, at the same time,I wouldn't commit such an injustice for the world. No,' continued MrsNickleby, drawing herself up, and looking another way with a kind ofbashful stateliness; 'this gentleman will understand me when I tell himthat I repeat the answer I gave him the other day; that I always willrepeat it, though I do believe him to be sincere when I find him placinghimself in such dreadful situations on my account; and that I requesthim to have the goodness to go away directly, or it will be impossibleto keep his behaviour a secret from my son Nicholas. I am obliged tohim, very much obliged to him, but I cannot listen to his addresses fora moment. It's quite impossible.'

While this address was in course of delivery, the old gentleman, withhis nose and cheeks embellished with large patches of soot, sat upon theground with his arms folded, eyeing the spectators in profound silence,and with a very majestic demeanour. He did not appear to take thesmallest notice of what Mrs Nickleby said, but when she ceased tospeak he honoured her with a long stare, and inquired if she had quitefinished.

'I have nothing more to say,' replied that lady modestly. 'I reallycannot say anything more.'

'Very good,' said the old gentleman, raising his voice, 'then bring inthe bottled lightning, a clean tumbler, and a corkscrew.'

Nobody executing this order, the old gentleman, after a short pause,raised his voice again and demanded a thunder sandwich. This article notbeing forthcoming either, he requested to be served with a fricassee ofboot-tops and goldfish sauce, and then laughing heartily, gratified hishearers with a very long, very loud, and most melodious bellow.

But still Mrs Nickleby, in reply to the significant looks of all abouther, shook her head as though to assure them that she saw nothingwhatever in all this, unless, indeed, it were a slight degree ofeccentricity. She might have remained impressed with these opinionsdown to the latest moment of her life, but for a slight train ofcircumstances, which, trivial as they were, altered the whole complexionof the case.

It happened that Miss La Creevy, finding her patient in no verythreatening condition, and being strongly impelled by curiosity to seewhat was going forward, bustled into the room while the old gentlemanwas in the very act of bellowing. It happened, too, that the instant theold gentleman saw her, he stopped short, skipped suddenly on his feet,and fell to kissing his hand violently: a change of demeanour whichalmost terrified the little portrait painter out of her senses, andcaused her to retreat behind Tim Linkinwater with the utmost expedition.

'Aha!' cried the old gentleman, folding his hands, and squeezing themwith great force against each other. 'I see her now; I see her now! Mylove, my life, my bride, my peerless beauty. She is come at last--atlast--and all is gas and gaiters!'

Mrs Nickleby looked rather disconcerted for a moment, but immediatelyrecovering, nodded to Miss La Creevy and the other spectators severaltimes, and frowned, and smiled gravely, giving them to understand thatshe saw where the mistake was, and would set it all to rights in aminute or two.

'She is come!' said the old gentleman, laying his hand upon his heart.'Cormoran and Blunderbore! She is come! All the wealth I have is hersif she will take me for her slave. Where are grace, beauty, andblandishments, like those? In the Empress of Madagascar? No. In theQueen of Diamonds? No. In Mrs Rowland, who every morning bathes inKalydor for nothing? No. Melt all these down into one, with the threeGraces, the nine Muses, and fourteen biscuit-bakers' daughters fromOxford Street, and make a woman half as lovely. Pho! I defy you.'

After uttering this rhapsody, the old gentleman snapped his fingerstwenty or thirty times, and then subsided into an ecstatic contemplationof Miss La Creevy's charms. This affording Mrs Nickleby a favourableopportunity of explanation, she went about it straight.

'I am sure,' said the worthy lady, with a prefatory cough, 'that it's agreat relief, under such trying circumstances as these, to have anybodyelse mistaken for me--a very great relief; and it's a circumstance thatnever occurred before, although I have several times been mistaken formy daughter Kate. I have no doubt the people were very foolish, andperhaps ought to have known better, but still they did take me forher, and of course that was no fault of mine, and it would be veryhard indeed if I was to be made responsible for it. However, in thisinstance, of course, I must feel that I should do exceedingly wrong ifI suffered anybody--especially anybody that I am under great obligationsto--to be made uncomfortable on my account. And therefore I think it myduty to tell that gentleman that he is mistaken, that I am the ladywho he was told by some impertinent person was niece to the Council ofPaving-stones, and that I do beg and entreat of him to go quietly away,if it's only for,' here Mrs Nickleby simpered and hesitated, 'for MYsake.'

It might have been expected that the old gentleman would have beenpenetrated to the heart by the delicacy and condescension of thisappeal, and that he would at least have returned a courteous andsuitable reply. What, then, was the shock which Mrs Nickleby received,when, accosting HER in the most unmistakable manner, he replied in aloud and sonourous voice: 'Avaunt! Cat!'

'Sir!' cried Mrs Nickleby, in a faint tone.

'Cat!' repeated the old gentleman. 'Puss, Kit, Tit, Grimalkin, Tabby,Brindle! Whoosh!' with which last sound, uttered in a hissing mannerbetween his teeth, the old gentleman swung his arms violently round andround, and at the same time alternately advanced on Mrs Nickleby, andretreated from her, in that species of savage dance with which boys onmarket-days may be seen to frighten pigs, sheep, and other animals, whenthey give out obstinate indications of turning down a wrong street.

Mrs Nickleby wasted no words, but uttered an exclamation of horror andsurprise, and immediately fainted away.

'I'll attend to mama,' said Kate, hastily; 'I am not at all frightened.But pray take him away: pray take him away!'

Frank was not at all confident of his power of complying with thisrequest, until he bethought himself of the stratagem of sending Miss LaCreevy on a few paces in advance, and urging the old gentleman tofollow her. It succeeded to a miracle; and he went away in a rapture ofadmiration, strongly guarded by Tim Linkinwater on one side, and Frankhimself on the other.

'Kate,' murmured Mrs Nickleby, reviving when the coast was clear, 'is hegone?'

She was assured that he was.

'I shall never forgive myself, Kate,' said Mrs Nickleby. 'Never! Thatgentleman has lost his senses, and I am the unhappy cause.'

'YOU the cause!' said Kate, greatly astonished.

'I, my love,' replied Mrs Nickleby, with a desperate calmness. 'You sawwhat he was the other day; you see what he is now. I told your brother,weeks and weeks ago, Kate, that I hoped a disappointment might not betoo much for him. You see what a wreck he is. Making allowance forhis being a little flighty, you know how rationally, and sensibly, andhonourably he talked, when we saw him in the garden. You have heard thedreadful nonsense he has been guilty of this night, and the manner inwhich he has gone on with that poor unfortunate little old maid. Cananybody doubt how all this has been brought about?'

'I should scarcely think they could,' said Kate mildly.

'I should scarcely think so, either,' rejoined her mother. 'Well! ifI am the unfortunate cause of this, I have the satisfaction of knowingthat I am not to blame. I told Nicholas, I said to him, "Nicholas, mydear, we should be very careful how we proceed." He would scarcely hearme. If the matter had only been properly taken up at first, as I wishedit to be! But you are both of you so like your poor papa. However, Ihave MY consolation, and that should be enough for me!'

Washing her hands, thus, of all responsibility under this head, past,present, or to come, Mrs Nickleby kindly added that she hoped herchildren might never have greater cause to reproach themselves than shehad, and prepared herself to receive the escort, who soon returned withthe intelligence that the old gentleman was safely housed, and thatthey found his custodians, who had been making merry with some friends,wholly ignorant of his absence.

Quiet being again restored, a delicious half-hour--so Frank called it,in the course of subsequent conversation with Tim Linkinwater as theywere walking home--was spent in conversation, and Tim's watch at lengthapprising him that it was high time to depart, the ladies were leftalone, though not without many offers on the part of Frank to remainuntil Nicholas arrived, no matter what hour of the night it might be,if, after the late neighbourly irruption, they entertained the leastfear of being left to themselves. As their freedom from all furtherapprehension, however, left no pretext for his insisting on mountingguard, he was obliged to abandon the citadel, and to retire with thetrusty Tim.

Nearly three hours of silence passed away. Kate blushed to find, whenNicholas returned, how long she had been sitting alone, occupied withher own thoughts.

'I really thought it had not been half an hour,' she said.

'They must have been pleasant thoughts, Kate,' rejoined Nicholas gaily,'to make time pass away like that. What were they now?'

Kate was confused; she toyed with some trifle on the table, looked upand smiled, looked down and dropped a tear.

'Why, Kate,' said Nicholas, drawing his sister towards him and kissingher, 'let me see your face. No? Ah! that was but a glimpse; that'sscarcely fair. A longer look than that, Kate. Come--and I'll read yourthoughts for you.'

There was something in this proposition, albeit it was said without theslightest consciousness or application, which so alarmed his sister,that Nicholas laughingly changed the subject to domestic matters, andthus gathered, by degrees, as they left the room and went upstairstogether, how lonely Smike had been all night--and by very slowdegrees, too; for on this subject also, Kate seemed to speak with somereluctance.

'Poor fellow,' said Nicholas, tapping gently at his door, 'what can bethe cause of all this?'

Kate was hanging on her brother's arm. The door being quickly opened,she had not time to disengage herself, before Smike, very pale andhaggard, and completely dressed, confronted them.

'And have you not been to bed?' said Nicholas.

'N--n--no,' was the reply.

Nicholas gently detained his sister, who made an effort to retire; andasked, 'Why not?'

'I could not sleep,' said Smike, grasping the hand which his friendextended to him.

'You are not well?' rejoined Nicholas.

'I am better, indeed. A great deal better,' said Smike quickly.

'Then why do you give way to these fits of melancholy?' inquiredNicholas, in his kindest manner; 'or why not tell us the cause? You growa different creature, Smike.'

'I do; I know I do,' he replied. 'I will tell you the reason one day,but not now. I hate myself for this; you are all so good and kind. But Icannot help it. My heart is very full; you do not know how full it is.'

He wrung Nicholas's hand before he released it; and glancing, for amoment, at the brother and sister as they stood together, as if therewere something in their strong affection which touched him very deeply,withdrew into his chamber, and was soon the only watcher under thatquiet roof.