Chapter 19

by Charles Dickens

　　Descriptive of a Dinner at Mr Ralph Nickleby's, and of the Manner inwhich the Company entertained themselves, before Dinner, at Dinner,and after Dinner.The bile and rancour of the worthy Miss Knag undergoing nodiminution during the remainder of the week, but rather augmentingwith every successive hour; and the honest ire of all the youngladies rising, or seeming to rise, in exact proportion to the goodspinster's indignation, and both waxing very hot every time MissNickleby was called upstairs; it will be readily imagined that thatyoung lady's daily life was none of the most cheerful or enviablekind. She hailed the arrival of Saturday night, as a prisoner woulda few delicious hours' respite from slow and wearing torture, andfelt that the poor pittance for her first week's labour would havebeen dearly and hardly earned, had its amount been trebled.When she joined her mother, as usual, at the street corner, she wasnot a little surprised to find her in conversation with Mr RalphNickleby; but her surprise was soon redoubled, no less by the matterof their conversation, than by the smoothed and altered manner of MrNickleby himself.'Ah! my dear!' said Ralph; 'we were at that moment talking aboutyou.''Indeed!' replied Kate, shrinking, though she scarce knew why, fromher uncle's cold glistening eye.'That instant,' said Ralph. 'I was coming to call for you, makingsure to catch you before you left; but your mother and I have beentalking over family affairs, and the time has slipped away sorapidly--''Well, now, hasn't it?' interposed Mrs Nickleby, quite insensible tothe sarcastic tone of Ralph's last remark. 'Upon my word, Icouldn't have believed it possible, that such a--Kate, my dear,you're to dine with your uncle at half-past six o'clock tomorrow.'Triumphing in having been the first to communicate thisextraordinary intelligence, Mrs Nickleby nodded and smiled a greatmany times, to impress its full magnificence on Kate's wonderingmind, and then flew off, at an acute angle, to a committee of waysand means.'Let me see,' said the good lady. 'Your black silk frock will bequite dress enough, my dear, with that pretty little scarf, and aplain band in your hair, and a pair of black silk stock--Dear,dear,' cried Mrs Nickleby, flying off at another angle, 'if I hadbut those unfortunate amethysts of mine--you recollect them, Kate,my love--how they used to sparkle, you know--but your papa, yourpoor dear papa--ah! there never was anything so cruelly sacrificedas those jewels were, never!' Overpowered by this agonising thought,Mrs Nickleby shook her head, in a melancholy manner, and applied herhandkerchief to her eyes.I don't want them, mama, indeed,' said Kate. 'Forget that you everhad them.''Lord, Kate, my dear,' rejoined Mrs Nickleby, pettishly, 'how like achild you talk! Four-and-twenty silver tea-spoons, brother-in-law,two gravies, four salts, all the amethysts--necklace, brooch, andear-rings--all made away with, at the same time, and I saying,almost on my bended knees, to that poor good soul, "Why don't you dosomething, Nicholas? Why don't you make some arrangement?" I amsure that anybody who was about us at that time, will do me thejustice to own, that if I said that once, I said it fifty times aday. Didn't I, Kate, my dear? Did I ever lose an opportunity ofimpressing it on your poor papa?''No, no, mama, never,' replied Kate. And to do Mrs Nicklebyjustice, she never had lost--and to do married ladies as a bodyjustice, they seldom do lose--any occasion of inculcating similargolden percepts, whose only blemish is, the slight degree ofvagueness and uncertainty in which they are usually enveloped.'Ah!' said Mrs Nickleby, with great fervour, 'if my advice had beentaken at the beginning--Well, I have always done my duty, and that'ssome comfort.'When she had arrived at this reflection, Mrs Nickleby sighed, rubbedher hands, cast up her eyes, and finally assumed a look of meekcomposure; thus importing that she was a persecuted saint, but thatshe wouldn't trouble her hearers by mentioning a circumstance whichmust be so obvious to everybody.'Now,' said Ralph, with a smile, which, in common with all othertokens of emotion, seemed to skulk under his face, rather than playboldly over it--'to return to the point from which we have strayed.I have a little party of--of--gentlemen with whom I am connected inbusiness just now, at my house tomorrow; and your mother haspromised that you shall keep house for me. I am not much used toparties; but this is one of business, and such fooleries are animportant part of it sometimes. You don't mind obliging me?''Mind!' cried Mrs Nickleby. 'My dear Kate, why--''Pray,' interrupted Ralph, motioning her to be silent. 'I spoke tomy niece.''I shall be very glad, of course, uncle,' replied Kate; 'but I amafraid you will find me awkward and embarrassed.''Oh no,' said Ralph; 'come when you like, in a hackney coach--I'llpay for it. Good-night--a--a--God bless you.'The blessing seemed to stick in Mr Ralph Nickleby's throat, as if itwere not used to the thoroughfare, and didn't know the way out. Butit got out somehow, though awkwardly enough; and having disposed ofit, he shook hands with his two relatives, and abruptly left them.'What a very strongly marked countenance your uncle has!' said MrsNickleby, quite struck with his parting look. 'I don't see theslightest resemblance to his poor brother.''Mama!' said Kate reprovingly. 'To think of such a thing!''No,' said Mrs Nickleby, musing. 'There certainly is none. Butit's a very honest face.'The worthy matron made this remark with great emphasis andelocution, as if it comprised no small quantity of ingenuity andresearch; and, in truth, it was not unworthy of being classed amongthe extraordinary discoveries of the age. Kate looked up hastily,and as hastily looked down again.'What has come over you, my dear, in the name of goodness?' askedMrs Nickleby, when they had walked on, for some time, in silence.'I was only thinking, mama,' answered Kate.'Thinking!' repeated Mrs Nickleby. 'Ay, and indeed plenty to thinkabout, too. Your uncle has taken a strong fancy to you, that'squite clear; and if some extraordinary good fortune doesn't come toyou, after this, I shall be a little surprised, that's all.'With this she launched out into sundry anecdotes of young ladies,who had had thousand-pound notes given them in reticules, byeccentric uncles; and of young ladies who had accidentally metamiable gentlemen of enormous wealth at their uncles' houses, andmarried them, after short but ardent courtships; and Kate, listeningfirst in apathy, and afterwards in amusement, felt, as they walkedhome, something of her mother's sanguine complexion graduallyawakening in her own bosom, and began to think that her prospectsmight be brightening, and that better days might be dawning uponthem. Such is hope, Heaven's own gift to struggling mortals;pervading, like some subtle essence from the skies, all things, bothgood and bad; as universal as death, and more infectious thandisease!The feeble winter's sun--and winter's suns in the city are veryfeeble indeed--might have brightened up, as he shone through the dimwindows of the large old house, on witnessing the unusual sightwhich one half-furnished room displayed. In a gloomy corner, where,for years, had stood a silent dusty pile of merchandise, shelteringits colony of mice, and frowning, a dull and lifeless mass, upon thepanelled room, save when, responding to the roll of heavy waggons inthe street without, it quaked with sturdy tremblings and caused thebright eyes of its tiny citizens to grow brighter still with fear,and struck them motionless, with attentive ear and palpitatingheart, until the alarm had passed away--in this dark corner, wasarranged, with scrupulous care, all Kate's little finery for theday; each article of dress partaking of that indescribable air ofjauntiness and individuality which empty garments--whether byassociation, or that they become moulded, as it were, to the owner'sform--will take, in eyes accustomed to, or picturing, the wearer'ssmartness. In place of a bale of musty goods, there lay the blacksilk dress: the neatest possible figure in itself. The small shoes,with toes delicately turned out, stood upon the very pressure ofsome old iron weight; and a pile of harsh discoloured leather hadunconsciously given place to the very same little pair of black silkstockings, which had been the objects of Mrs Nickleby's peculiarcare. Rats and mice, and such small gear, had long ago beenstarved, or had emigrated to better quarters: and, in their stead,appeared gloves, bands, scarfs, hair-pins, and many other littledevices, almost as ingenious in their way as rats and micethemselves, for the tantalisation of mankind. About and among themall, moved Kate herself, not the least beautiful or unwonted reliefto the stern, old, gloomy building.In good time, or in bad time, as the reader likes to take it--forMrs Nickleby's impatience went a great deal faster than the clocksat that end of the town, and Kate was dressed to the very last hair-pin a full hour and a half before it was at all necessary to beginto think about it--in good time, or in bad time, the toilet wascompleted; and it being at length the hour agreed upon for starting,the milkman fetched a coach from the nearest stand, and Kate, withmany adieux to her mother, and many kind messages to Miss La Creevy,who was to come to tea, seated herself in it, and went away instate, if ever anybody went away in state in a hackney coach yet.And the coach, and the coachman, and the horses, rattled, andjangled, and whipped, and cursed, and swore, and tumbled ontogether, until they came to Golden Square.The coachman gave a tremendous double knock at the door, which wasopened long before he had done, as quickly as if there had been aman behind it, with his hand tied to the latch. Kate, who hadexpected no more uncommon appearance than Newman Noggs in a cleanshirt, was not a little astonished to see that the opener was a manin handsome livery, and that there were two or three others in thehall. There was no doubt about its being the right house, however,for there was the name upon the door; so she accepted the lacedcoat-sleeve which was tendered her, and entering the house, wasushered upstairs, into a back drawing-room, where she was leftalone.If she had been surprised at the apparition of the footman, she wasperfectly absorbed in amazement at the richness and splendour of thefurniture. The softest and most elegant carpets, the most exquisitepictures, the costliest mirrors; articles of richest ornament, quitedazzling from their beauty and perplexing from the prodigality withwhich they were scattered around; encountered her on every side.The very staircase nearly down to the hall-door, was crammed withbeautiful and luxurious things, as though the house were brimful ofriches, which, with a very trifling addition, would fairly run overinto the street.Presently, she heard a series of loud double knocks at the street-door, and after every knock some new voice in the next room; thetones of Mr Ralph Nickleby were easily distinguishable at first, butby degrees they merged into the general buzz of conversation, andall she could ascertain was, that there were several gentlemen withno very musical voices, who talked very loud, laughed very heartily,and swore more than she would have thought quite necessary. Butthis was a question of taste.At length, the door opened, and Ralph himself, divested of hisboots, and ceremoniously embellished with black silks and shoes,presented his crafty face.'I couldn't see you before, my dear,' he said, in a low tone, andpointing, as he spoke, to the next room. 'I was engaged inreceiving them. Now--shall I take you in?''Pray, uncle,' said Kate, a little flurried, as people much moreconversant with society often are, when they are about to enter aroom full of strangers, and have had time to think of it previously,'are there any ladies here?''No,' said Ralph, shortly, 'I don't know any.''Must I go in immediately?' asked Kate, drawing back a little.'As you please,' said Ralph, shrugging his shoulders. 'They are allcome, and dinner will be announced directly afterwards--that's all.'Kate would have entreated a few minutes' respite, but reflectingthat her uncle might consider the payment of the hackney-coach farea sort of bargain for her punctuality, she suffered him to draw herarm through his, and to lead her away.Seven or eight gentlemen were standing round the fire when they wentin, and, as they were talking very loud, were not aware of theirentrance until Mr Ralph Nickleby, touching one on the coat-sleeve,said in a harsh emphatic voice, as if to attract general attention--'Lord Frederick Verisopht, my niece, Miss Nickleby.'The group dispersed, as if in great surprise, and the gentlemanaddressed, turning round, exhibited a suit of clothes of the mostsuperlative cut, a pair of whiskers of similar quality, a moustache,a head of hair, and a young face.'Eh!' said the gentleman. 'What--the--deyvle!'With which broken ejaculations, he fixed his glass in his eye, andstared at Miss Nickleby in great surprise.'My niece, my lord,' said Ralph.'Then my ears did not deceive me, and it's not wa-a-x work,' saidhis lordship. 'How de do? I'm very happy.' And then his lordshipturned to another superlative gentleman, something older, somethingstouter, something redder in the face, and something longer upontown, and said in a loud whisper that the girl was 'deyvlish pitty.''Introduce me, Nickleby,' said this second gentleman, who waslounging with his back to the fire, and both elbows on thechimneypiece.'Sir Mulberry Hawk,' said Ralph.'Otherwise the most knowing card in the pa-ack, Miss Nickleby,' saidLord Frederick Verisopht.'Don't leave me out, Nickleby,' cried a sharp-faced gentleman, whowas sitting on a low chair with a high back, reading the paper.'Mr Pyke,' said Ralph.'Nor me, Nickleby,' cried a gentleman with a flushed face and aflash air, from the elbow of Sir Mulberry Hawk.'Mr Pluck,' said Ralph. Then wheeling about again, towards agentleman with the neck of a stork and the legs of no animal inparticular, Ralph introduced him as the Honourable Mr Snobb; and awhite-headed person at the table as Colonel Chowser. The colonelwas in conversation with somebody, who appeared to be a make-weight,and was not introduced at all.There were two circumstances which, in this early stage of theparty, struck home to Kate's bosom, and brought the blood tinglingto her face. One was the flippant contempt with which the guestsevidently regarded her uncle, and the other, the easy insolence oftheir manner towards herself. That the first symptom was verylikely to lead to the aggravation of the second, it needed no greatpenetration to foresee. And here Mr Ralph Nickleby had reckonedwithout his host; for however fresh from the country a young lady(by nature) may be, and however unacquainted with conventionalbehaviour, the chances are, that she will have quite as strong aninnate sense of the decencies and proprieties of life as if she hadrun the gauntlet of a dozen London seasons--possibly a stronger one,for such senses have been known to blunt in this improving process.When Ralph had completed the ceremonial of introduction, he led hisblushing niece to a seat. As he did so, he glanced warily round asthough to assure himself of the impression which her unlooked-forappearance had created.'An unexpected playsure, Nickleby,' said Lord Frederick Verisopht,taking his glass out of his right eye, where it had, until now, doneduty on Kate, and fixing it in his left, to bring it to bear onRalph.'Designed to surprise you, Lord Frederick,' said Mr Pluck.'Not a bad idea,' said his lordship, 'and one that would almostwarrant the addition of an extra two and a half per cent.''Nickleby,' said Sir Mulberry Hawk, in a thick coarse voice, 'takethe hint, and tack it on the other five-and-twenty, or whatever itis, and give me half for the advice.'Sir Mulberry garnished this speech with a hoarse laugh, andterminated it with a pleasant oath regarding Mr Nickleby's limbs,whereat Messrs Pyke and Pluck laughed consumedly.These gentlemen had not yet quite recovered the jest, when dinnerwas announced, and then they were thrown into fresh ecstasies by asimilar cause; for Sir Mulberry Hawk, in an excess of humour, shotdexterously past Lord Frederick Verisopht who was about to lead Katedownstairs, and drew her arm through his up to the elbow.'No, damn it, Verisopht,' said Sir Mulberry, 'fair play's a jewel,and Miss Nickleby and I settled the matter with our eyes ten minutesago.''Ha, ha, ha!' laughed the honourable Mr Snobb, 'very good, verygood.'Rendered additionally witty by this applause, Sir Mulberry Hawkleered upon his friends most facetiously, and led Kate downstairswith an air of familiarity, which roused in her gentle breast suchburning indignation, as she felt it almost impossible to repress.Nor was the intensity of these feelings at all diminished, when shefound herself placed at the top of the table, with Sir Mulberry Hawkand Lord Frederick Verisopht on either side.'Oh, you've found your way into our neighbourhood, have you?' saidSir Mulberry as his lordship sat down.'Of course,' replied Lord Frederick, fixing his eyes on MissNickleby, 'how can you a-ask me?''Well, you attend to your dinner,' said Sir Mulberry, 'and don'tmind Miss Nickleby and me, for we shall prove very indifferentcompany, I dare say.''I wish you'd interfere here, Nickleby,' said Lord Frederick.'What is the matter, my lord?' demanded Ralph from the bottom of thetable, where he was supported by Messrs Pyke and Pluck.'This fellow, Hawk, is monopolising your niece,' said Lord Frederick.'He has a tolerable share of everything that you lay claim to, mylord,' said Ralph with a sneer.''Gad, so he has,' replied the young man; 'deyvle take me if I knowwhich is master in my house, he or I.''I know,' muttered Ralph.'I think I shall cut him off with a shilling,' said the youngnobleman, jocosely.'No, no, curse it,' said Sir Mulberry. 'When you come to theshilling--the last shilling--I'll cut you fast enough; but tillthen, I'll never leave you--you may take your oath of it.'This sally (which was strictly founded on fact) was received with ageneral roar, above which, was plainly distinguishable the laughterof Mr Pyke and Mr Pluck, who were, evidently, Sir Mulberry's toadsin ordinary. Indeed, it was not difficult to see, that the majorityof the company preyed upon the unfortunate young lord, who, weak andsilly as he was, appeared by far the least vicious of the party.Sir Mulberry Hawk was remarkable for his tact in ruining, by himselfand his creatures, young gentlemen of fortune--a genteel and elegantprofession, of which he had undoubtedly gained the head. With allthe boldness of an original genius, he had struck out an entirelynew course of treatment quite opposed to the usual method; hiscustom being, when he had gained the ascendancy over those he tookin hand, rather to keep them down than to give them their own way;and to exercise his vivacity upon them openly, and without reserve.Thus, he made them butts, in a double sense, and while he emptiedthem with great address, caused them to ring with sundry well-administered taps, for the diversion of society.The dinner was as remarkable for the splendour and completeness ofits appointments as the mansion itself, and the company wereremarkable for doing it ample justice, in which respect Messrs Pykeand Pluck particularly signalised themselves; these two gentlemeneating of every dish, and drinking of every bottle, with a capacityand perseverance truly astonishing. They were remarkably fresh,too, notwithstanding their great exertions: for, on the appearanceof the dessert, they broke out again, as if nothing serious hadtaken place since breakfast.'Well,' said Lord Frederick, sipping his first glass of port, 'ifthis is a discounting dinner, all I have to say is, deyvle take me,if it wouldn't be a good pla-an to get discount every day.''You'll have plenty of it, in your time,' returned Sir MulberryHawk; 'Nickleby will tell you that.''What do you say, Nickleby?' inquired the young man; 'am I to be agood customer?''It depends entirely on circumstances, my lord,' replied Ralph.'On your lordship's circumstances,' interposed Colonel Chowser ofthe Militia--and the race-courses.The gallant colonel glanced at Messrs Pyke and Pluck as if hethought they ought to laugh at his joke; but those gentlemen, beingonly engaged to laugh for Sir Mulberry Hawk, were, to his signaldiscomfiture, as grave as a pair of undertakers. To add to hisdefeat, Sir Mulberry, considering any such efforts an invasion ofhis peculiar privilege, eyed the offender steadily, through hisglass, as if astonished at his presumption, and audibly stated hisimpression that it was an 'infernal liberty,' which being a hint toLord Frederick, he put up his glass, and surveyed the object ofcensure as if he were some extraordinary wild animal then exhibitingfor the first time. As a matter of course, Messrs Pyke and Pluckstared at the individual whom Sir Mulberry Hawk stared at; so, thepoor colonel, to hide his confusion, was reduced to the necessity ofholding his port before his right eye and affecting to scrutiniseits colour with the most lively interest.All this while, Kate had sat as silently as she could, scarcelydaring to raise her eyes, lest they should encounter the admiringgaze of Lord Frederick Verisopht, or, what was still moreembarrassing, the bold looks of his friend Sir Mulberry. The lattergentleman was obliging enough to direct general attention towardsher.'Here is Miss Nickleby,' observed Sir Mulberry, 'wondering why thedeuce somebody doesn't make love to her.''No, indeed,' said Kate, looking hastily up, 'I--' and then shestopped, feeling it would have been better to have said nothing atall.'I'll hold any man fifty pounds,' said Sir Mulberry, 'that MissNickleby can't look in my face, and tell me she wasn't thinking so.''Done!' cried the noble gull. 'Within ten minutes.''Done!' responded Sir Mulberry. The money was produced on bothsides, and the Honourable Mr Snobb was elected to the double officeof stake-holder and time-keeper.'Pray,' said Kate, in great confusion, while these preliminarieswere in course of completion. 'Pray do not make me the subject ofany bets. Uncle, I cannot really--''Why not, my dear?' replied Ralph, in whose grating voice, however,there was an unusual huskiness, as though he spoke unwillingly, andwould rather that the proposition had not been broached. 'It isdone in a moment; there is nothing in it. If the gentlemen insiston it--''I don't insist on it,' said Sir Mulberry, with a loud laugh. 'Thatis, I by no means insist upon Miss Nickleby's making the denial, forif she does, I lose; but I shall be glad to see her bright eyes,especially as she favours the mahogany so much.''So she does, and it's too ba-a-d of you, Miss Nickleby,' said thenoble youth.'Quite cruel,' said Mr Pyke.'Horrid cruel,' said Mr Pluck.'I don't care if I do lose,' said Sir Mulberry; 'for one tolerablelook at Miss Nickleby's eyes is worth double the money.''More,' said Mr Pyke.'Far more,' said Mr Pluck.'How goes the enemy, Snobb?' asked Sir Mulberry Hawk.'Four minutes gone.''Bravo!''Won't you ma-ake one effort for me, Miss Nickleby?' asked LordFrederick, after a short interval.'You needn't trouble yourself to inquire, my buck,' said SirMulberry; 'Miss Nickleby and I understand each other; she declareson my side, and shows her taste. You haven't a chance, old fellow.Time, Snobb?''Eight minutes gone.''Get the money ready,' said Sir Mulberry; 'you'll soon hand over.''Ha, ha, ha!' laughed Mr Pyke.Mr Pluck, who always came second, and topped his companion if hecould, screamed outright.The poor girl, who was so overwhelmed with confusion that shescarcely knew what she did, had determined to remain perfectlyquiet; but fearing that by so doing she might seem to countenanceSir Mulberry's boast, which had been uttered with great coarsenessand vulgarity of manner, raised her eyes, and looked him in theface. There was something so odious, so insolent, so repulsive inthe look which met her, that, without the power to stammer forth asyllable, she rose and hurried from the room. She restrained hertears by a great effort until she was alone upstairs, and then gavethem vent.'Capital!' said Sir Mulberry Hawk, putting the stakes in his pocket.'That's a girl of spirit, and we'll drink her health.'It is needless to say, that Pyke and Co. responded, with greatwarmth of manner, to this proposal, or that the toast was drunk withmany little insinuations from the firm, relative to the completenessof Sir Mulberry's conquest. Ralph, who, while the attention of theother guests was attracted to the principals in the preceding scene,had eyed them like a wolf, appeared to breathe more freely now hisniece was gone; the decanters passing quickly round, he leaned backin his chair, and turned his eyes from speaker to speaker, as theywarmed with wine, with looks that seemed to search their hearts, andlay bare, for his distempered sport, every idle thought within them.Meanwhile Kate, left wholly to herself, had, in some degree,recovered her composure. She had learnt from a female attendant,that her uncle wished to see her before she left, and had alsogleaned the satisfactory intelligence, that the gentlemen would takecoffee at table. The prospect of seeing them no more, contributedgreatly to calm her agitation, and, taking up a book, she composedherself to read.She started sometimes, when the sudden opening of the dining-roomdoor let loose a wild shout of noisy revelry, and more than oncerose in great alarm, as a fancied footstep on the staircaseimpressed her with the fear that some stray member of the party wasreturning alone. Nothing occurring, however, to realise herapprehensions, she endeavoured to fix her attention more closely onher book, in which by degrees she became so much interested, thatshe had read on through several chapters without heed of time orplace, when she was terrified by suddenly hearing her namepronounced by a man's voice close at her ear.The book fell from her hand. Lounging on an ottoman close besideher, was Sir Mulberry Hawk, evidently the worse--if a man be aruffian at heart, he is never the better--for wine.'What a delightful studiousness!' said this accomplished gentleman.'Was it real, now, or only to display the eyelashes?'Kate, looking anxiously towards the door, made no reply.'I have looked at 'em for five minutes,' said Sir Mulberry. 'Uponmy soul, they're perfect. Why did I speak, and destroy such apretty little picture?''Do me the favour to be silent now, sir,' replied Kate.'No, don't,' said Sir Mulberry, folding his crushed hat to lay hiselbow on, and bringing himself still closer to the young lady; 'uponmy life, you oughtn't to. Such a devoted slave of yours, MissNickleby--it's an infernal thing to treat him so harshly, upon mysoul it is.''I wish you to understand, sir,' said Kate, trembling in spite ofherself, but speaking with great indignation, 'that your behaviouroffends and disgusts me. If you have a spark of gentlemanly feelingremaining, you will leave me.''Now why,' said Sir Mulberry, 'why will you keep up this appearanceof excessive rigour, my sweet creature? Now, be more natural--mydear Miss Nickleby, be more natural--do.'Kate hastily rose; but as she rose, Sir Mulberry caught her dress,and forcibly detained her.'Let me go, sir,' she cried, her heart swelling with anger. 'Do youhear? Instantly--this moment.''Sit down, sit down,' said Sir Mulberry; 'I want to talk to you.''Unhand me, sir, this instant,' cried Kate.'Not for the world,' rejoined Sir Mulberry. Thus speaking, heleaned over, as if to replace her in her chair; but the young lady,making a violent effort to disengage herself, he lost his balance,and measured his length upon the ground. As Kate sprung forward toleave the room, Mr Ralph Nickleby appeared in the doorway, andconfronted her.'What is this?' said Ralph.'It is this, sir,' replied Kate, violently agitated: 'that beneaththe roof where I, a helpless girl, your dead brother's child, shouldmost have found protection, I have been exposed to insult whichshould make you shrink to look upon me. Let me pass you.'Ralph did shrink, as the indignant girl fixed her kindling eye uponhim; but he did not comply with her injunction, nevertheless: for heled her to a distant seat, and returning, and approaching SirMulberry Hawk, who had by this time risen, motioned towards thedoor.'Your way lies there, sir,' said Ralph, in a suppressed voice, thatsome devil might have owned with pride.'What do you mean by that?' demanded his friend, fiercely.The swoln veins stood out like sinews on Ralph's wrinkled forehead,and the nerves about his mouth worked as though some unendurableemotion wrung them; but he smiled disdainfully, and again pointed tothe door.'Do you know me, you old madman?' asked Sir Mulberry.'Well,' said Ralph. The fashionable vagabond for the moment quitequailed under the steady look of the older sinner, and walkedtowards the door, muttering as he went.'You wanted the lord, did you?' he said, stopping short when hereached the door, as if a new light had broken in upon him, andconfronting Ralph again. 'Damme, I was in the way, was I?'Ralph smiled again, but made no answer.'Who brought him to you first?' pursued Sir Mulberry; 'and how,without me, could you ever have wound him in your net as you have?''The net is a large one, and rather full,' said Ralph. 'Take carethat it chokes nobody in the meshes.''You would sell your flesh and blood for money; yourself, if youhave not already made a bargain with the devil,' retorted the other.'Do you mean to tell me that your pretty niece was not brought hereas a decoy for the drunken boy downstairs?'Although this hurried dialogue was carried on in a suppressed toneon both sides, Ralph looked involuntarily round to ascertain thatKate had not moved her position so as to be within hearing. Hisadversary saw the advantage he had gained, and followed it up.'Do you mean to tell me,' he asked again, 'that it is not so? Doyou mean to say that if he had found his way up here instead of me,you wouldn't have been a little more blind, and a little more deaf,and a little less flourishing, than you have been? Come, Nickleby,answer me that.''I tell you this,' replied Ralph, 'that if I brought her here, as amatter of business--''Ay, that's the word,' interposed Sir Mulberry, with a laugh.'You're coming to yourself again now.''--As a matter of business,' pursued Ralph, speaking slowly andfirmly, as a man who has made up his mind to say no more, 'because Ithought she might make some impression on the silly youth you havetaken in hand and are lending good help to ruin, I knew--knowinghim--that it would be long before he outraged her girl's feelings,and that unless he offended by mere puppyism and emptiness, hewould, with a little management, respect the sex and conduct even ofhis usurer's niece. But if I thought to draw him on more gently bythis device, I did not think of subjecting the girl to thelicentiousness and brutality of so old a hand as you. And now weunderstand each other.''Especially as there was nothing to be got by it--eh?' sneered SirMulberry.'Exactly so,' said Ralph. He had turned away, and looked over hisshoulder to make this last reply. The eyes of the two worthies met,with an expression as if each rascal felt that there was nodisguising himself from the other; and Sir Mulberry Hawk shruggedhis shoulders and walked slowly out.His friend closed the door, and looked restlessly towards the spotwhere his niece still remained in the attitude in which he had lefther. She had flung herself heavily upon the couch, and with herhead drooping over the cushion, and her face hidden in her hands,seemed to be still weeping in an agony of shame and grief.Ralph would have walked into any poverty-stricken debtor's house,and pointed him out to a bailiff, though in attendance upon a youngchild's death-bed, without the smallest concern, because it wouldhave been a matter quite in the ordinary course of business, and theman would have been an offender against his only code of morality.But, here was a young girl, who had done no wrong save that ofcoming into the world alive; who had patiently yielded to all hiswishes; who had tried hard to please him--above all, who didn't owehim money--and he felt awkward and nervous.Ralph took a chair at some distance; then, another chair a littlenearer; then, moved a little nearer still; then, nearer again, andfinally sat himself on the same sofa, and laid his hand on Kate'sarm.'Hush, my dear!' he said, as she drew it back, and her sobs burstout afresh. 'Hush, hush! Don't mind it, now; don't think of it.''Oh, for pity's sake, let me go home,' cried Kate. 'Let me leavethis house, and go home.''Yes, yes,' said Ralph. 'You shall. But you must dry your eyesfirst, and compose yourself. Let me raise your head. There--there.''Oh, uncle!' exclaimed Kate, clasping her hands. 'What have I done--what have I done--that you should subject me to this? If I hadwronged you in thought, or word, or deed, it would have been mostcruel to me, and the memory of one you must have loved in some oldtime; but--''Only listen to me for a moment,' interrupted Ralph, seriouslyalarmed by the violence of her emotions. 'I didn't know it would beso; it was impossible for me to foresee it. I did all I could.--Come, let us walk about. You are faint with the closeness of theroom, and the heat of these lamps. You will be better now, if youmake the slightest effort.''I will do anything,' replied Kate, 'if you will only send me home.''Well, well, I will,' said Ralph; 'but you must get back your ownlooks; for those you have, will frighten them, and nobody must knowof this but you and I. Now let us walk the other way. There. Youlook better even now.'With such encouragements as these, Ralph Nickleby walked to and fro,with his niece leaning on his arm; actually trembling beneath hertouch.In the same manner, when he judged it prudent to allow her todepart, he supported her downstairs, after adjusting her shawl andperforming such little offices, most probably for the first time inhis life. Across the hall, and down the steps, Ralph led her too;nor did he withdraw his hand until she was seated in the coach.As the door of the vehicle was roughly closed, a comb fell fromKate's hair, close at her uncle's feet; and as he picked it up, andreturned it into her hand, the light from a neighbouring lamp shoneupon her face. The lock of hair that had escaped and curled looselyover her brow, the traces of tears yet scarcely dry, the flushedcheek, the look of sorrow, all fired some dormant train ofrecollection in the old man's breast; and the face of his deadbrother seemed present before him, with the very look it bore onsome occasion of boyish grief, of which every minutest circumstanceflashed upon his mind, with the distinctness of a scene ofyesterday.Ralph Nickleby, who was proof against all appeals of blood andkindred--who was steeled against every tale of sorrow and distress--staggered while he looked, and went back into his house, as a manwho had seen a spirit from some world beyond the grave.