Chapter 43

by Charles Dickens

　　Officiates as a kind of Gentleman Usher, in bringing various PeopletogetherThe storm had long given place to a calm the most profound, and theevening was pretty far advanced--indeed supper was over, and theprocess of digestion proceeding as favourably as, under theinfluence of complete tranquillity, cheerful conversation, and amoderate allowance of brandy-and-water, most wise men conversantwith the anatomy and functions of the human frame will consider thatit ought to have proceeded, when the three friends, or as one mightsay, both in a civil and religious sense, and with proper deferenceand regard to the holy state of matrimony, the two friends, (Mr andMrs Browdie counting as no more than one,) were startled by thenoise of loud and angry threatenings below stairs, which presentlyattained so high a pitch, and were conveyed besides in language sotowering, sanguinary, and ferocious, that it could hardly have beensurpassed, if there had actually been a Saracen's head then presentin the establishment, supported on the shoulders and surmounting thetrunk of a real, live, furious, and most unappeasable Saracen.This turmoil, instead of quickly subsiding after the first outburst,(as turmoils not unfrequently do, whether in taverns, legislativeassemblies, or elsewhere,) into a mere grumbling and growlingsquabble, increased every moment; and although the whole dinappeared to be raised by but one pair of lungs, yet that one pairwas of so powerful a quality, and repeated such words as'scoundrel,' 'rascal,' 'insolent puppy,' and a variety of expletivesno less flattering to the party addressed, with such great relishand strength of tone, that a dozen voices raised in concert underany ordinary circumstances would have made far less uproar andcreated much smaller consternation.'Why, what's the matter?' said Nicholas, moving hastily towards thedoor.John Browdie was striding in the same direction when Mrs Browdieturned pale, and, leaning back in her chair, requested him with afaint voice to take notice, that if he ran into any danger it washer intention to fall into hysterics immediately, and that theconsequences might be more serious than he thought for. John lookedrather disconcerted by this intelligence, though there was a lurkinggrin on his face at the same time; but, being quite unable to keepout of the fray, he compromised the matter by tucking his wife's armunder his own, and, thus accompanied, following Nicholas downstairswith all speed.The passage outside the coffee-room door was the scene ofdisturbance, and here were congregated the coffee-room customers andwaiters, together with two or three coachmen and helpers from theyard. These had hastily assembled round a young man who from hisappearance might have been a year or two older than Nicholas, andwho, besides having given utterance to the defiances just nowdescribed, seemed to have proceeded to even greater lengths in hisindignation, inasmuch as his feet had no other covering than a pairof stockings, while a couple of slippers lay at no great distancefrom the head of a prostrate figure in an opposite corner, who borethe appearance of having been shot into his present retreat by meansof a kick, and complimented by having the slippers flung about hisears afterwards.The coffee-room customers, and the waiters, and the coachmen, andthe helpers--not to mention a barmaid who was looking on from behindan open sash window--seemed at that moment, if a spectator mightjudge from their winks, nods, and muttered exclamations, stronglydisposed to take part against the young gentleman in the stockings.Observing this, and that the young gentleman was nearly of his ownage and had in nothing the appearance of an habitual brawler,Nicholas, impelled by such feelings as will influence young mensometimes, felt a very strong disposition to side with the weakerparty, and so thrust himself at once into the centre of the group,and in a more emphatic tone, perhaps, than circumstances might seemto warrant, demanded what all that noise was about.'Hallo!' said one of the men from the yard, 'this is somebody indisguise, this is.''Room for the eldest son of the Emperor of Roosher, gen'l'men!'cried another fellow.Disregarding these sallies, which were uncommonly well received, assallies at the expense of the best-dressed persons in a crowdusually are, Nicholas glanced carelessly round, and addressing theyoung gentleman, who had by this time picked up his slippers andthrust his feet into them, repeated his inquiries with a courteousair.'A mere nothing!' he replied.At this a murmur was raised by the lookers-on, and some of theboldest cried, 'Oh, indeedNothing, eh?--Hecalled that nothing, did he? Lucky for him if he found it nothing.'These and many other expressions of ironical disapprobation havingbeen exhausted, two or three of the out-of-door fellows began tohustle Nicholas and the young gentleman who had made the noise:stumbling against them by accident, and treading on their toes, andso forth. But this being a round game, and one not necessarilylimited to three or four players, was open to John Browdie too, who,bursting into the little crowd--to the great terror of his wife--andfalling about in all directions, now to the right, now to the left,now forwards, now backwards, and accidentally driving his elbowthrough the hat of the tallest helper, who had been particularlyactive, speedily caused the odds to wear a very differentappearance; while more than one stout fellow limped away to arespectful distance, anathematising with tears in his eyes the heavytread and ponderous feet of the burly Yorkshireman.'Let me see him do it again,' said he who had been kicked into thecorner, rising as he spoke, apparently more from the fear of JohnBrowdie's inadvertently treading upon him, than from any desire toplace himself on equal terms with his late adversary. 'Let me seehim do it again. That's all.''Let me hear you make those remarks again,' said the young man, 'andI'll knock that head of yours in among the wine-glasses behind youthere.'Here a waiter who had been rubbing his hands in excessive enjoymentof the scene, so long as only the breaking of heads was in question,adjured the spectators with great earnestness to fetch the police,declaring that otherwise murder would be surely done, and that hewas responsible for all the glass and china on the premises.'No one need trouble himself to stir,' said the young gentleman, 'Iam going to remain in the house all night, and shall be found herein the morning if there is any assault to answer for.''What did you strike him for?' asked one of the bystanders.'Ah! what did you strike him for?' demanded the others.The unpopular gentleman looked coolly round, and addressing himselfto Nicholas, said:'You inquired just now what was the matter here. The matter issimply this. Yonder person, who was drinking with a friend in thecoffee-room when I took my seat there for half an hour before goingto bed, (for I have just come off a journey, and preferred stoppinghere tonight, to going home at this hour, where I was not expecteduntil tomorrow,) chose to express himself in very disrespectful, andinsolently familiar terms, of a young lady, whom I recognised fromhis description and other circumstances, and whom I have the honourto know. As he spoke loud enough to be overheard by the otherguests who were present, I informed him most civilly that he wasmistaken in his conjectures, which were of an offensive nature, andrequested him to forbear. He did so for a little time, but as hechose to renew his conversation when leaving the room, in a moreoffensive strain than before, I could not refrain from making afterhim, and facilitating his departure by a kick, which reduced him tothe posture in which you saw him just now. I am the best judge ofmy own affairs, I take it,' said the young man, who had certainlynot quite recovered from his recent heat; 'if anybody here thinksproper to make this quarrel his own, I have not the smallest earthlyobjection, I do assure him.'Of all possible courses of proceeding under the circumstancesdetailed, there was certainly not one which, in his then state ofmind, could have appeared more laudable to Nicholas than this.There were not many subjects of dispute which at that moment couldhave come home to his own breast more powerfully, for having theunknown uppermost in his thoughts, it naturally occurred to him thathe would have done just the same if any audacious gossiper dursthave presumed in his hearing to speak lightly of her. Influenced bythese considerations, he espoused the young gentleman's quarrel withgreat warmth, protesting that he had done quite right, and that herespected him for it; which John Browdie (albeit not quite clear asto the merits) immediately protested too, with not inferiorvehemence.'Let him take care, that's all,' said the defeated party, who wasbeing rubbed down by a waiter, after his recent fall on the dustyboards. 'He don't knock me about for nothing, I can tell him that.A pretty state of things, if a man isn't to admire a handsome girlwithout being beat to pieces for it!'This reflection appeared to have great weight with the young lady inthe bar, who (adjusting her cap as she spoke, and glancing at amirror) declared that it would be a very pretty state of thingsindeed; and that if people were to be punished for actions soinnocent and natural as that, there would be more people to beknocked down than there would be people to knock them down, and thatshe wondered what the gentleman meant by it, that she did.'My dear girl,' said the young gentleman in a low voice, advancingtowards the sash window.'Nonsense, sir!' replied the young lady sharply, smiling though asshe turned aside, and biting her lip, (whereat Mrs Browdie, who wasstill standing on the stairs, glanced at her with disdain, andcalled to her husband to come away).'No, but listen to me,' said the young man. 'If admiration of apretty face were criminal, I should be the most hopeless personalive, for I cannot resist one. It has the most extraordinaryeffect upon me, checks and controls me in the most furious andobstinate mood. You see what an effect yours has had upon mealready.''Oh, that's very pretty,' replied the young lady, tossing her head,'but--''Yes, I know it's very pretty,' said the young man, looking with anair of admiration in the barmaid's face; 'I said so, you know, justthis moment. But beauty should be spoken of respectfully--respectfully, and in proper terms, and with a becoming sense of itsworth and excellence, whereas this fellow has no more notion--'The young lady interrupted the conversation at this point, bythrusting her head out of the bar-window, and inquiring of thewaiter in a shrill voice whether that young man who had been knockeddown was going to stand in the passage all night, or whether theentrance was to be left clear for other people. The waiters takingthe hint, and communicating it to the hostlers, were not slow tochange their tone too, and the result was, that the unfortunatevictim was bundled out in a twinkling.'I am sure I have seen that fellow before,' said Nicholas.'Indeed!' replied his new acquaintance.'I am certain of it,' said Nicholas, pausing to reflect. 'Where canI have--stophe belongs to a register-office upat the west end of the town. I knew I recollected the face.'It was, indeed, Tom, the ugly clerk.'That's odd enough!' said Nicholas, ruminating upon the strangemanner in which the register-office seemed to start up and stare himin the face every now and then, and when he least expected it.'I am much obliged to you for your kind advocacy of my cause when itmost needed an advocate,' said the young man, laughing, and drawinga card from his pocket. 'Perhaps you'll do me the favour to let meknow where I can thank you.'Nicholas took the card, and glancing at it involuntarily as hereturned the compliment, evinced very great surprise.'Mr Frank Cheeryble!' said Nicholas. 'Surely not the nephew ofCheeryble Brothers, who is expected tomorrow!''I don't usually call myself the nephew of the firm,' returned MrFrank, good-humouredly; 'but of the two excellent individuals whocompose it, I am proud to say I am the nephew. And you, I see, areMr Nickleby, of whom I have heard so much! This is a mostunexpected meeting, but not the less welcome, I assure you.'Nicholas responded to these compliments with others of the samekind, and they shook hands warmly. Then he introduced John Browdie,who had remained in a state of great admiration ever since the younglady in the bar had been so skilfully won over to the right side.Then Mrs John Browdie was introduced, and finally they all wentupstairs together and spent the next half-hour with greatsatisfaction and mutual entertainment; Mrs John Browdie beginningthe conversation by declaring that of all the made-up things sheever saw, that young woman below-stairs was the vainest and theplainest.This Mr Frank Cheeryble, although, to judge from what had recentlytaken place, a hot-headed young man (which is not an absolutemiracle and phenomenon in nature), was a sprightly, good-humoured,pleasant fellow, with much both in his countenance and dispositionthat reminded Nicholas very strongly of the kind-hearted brothers.His manner was as unaffected as theirs, and his demeanour full ofthat heartiness which, to most people who have anything generous intheir composition, is peculiarly prepossessing. Add to this, thathe was good-looking and intelligent, had a plentiful share ofvivacity, was extremely cheerful, and accommodated himself in fiveminutes' time to all John Browdie's oddities with as much ease as ifhe had known him from a boy; and it will be a source of no greatwonder that, when they parted for the night, he had produced a mostfavourable impression, not only upon the worthy Yorkshireman and hiswife, but upon Nicholas also, who, revolving all these things in hismind as he made the best of his way home, arrived at the conclusionthat he had laid the foundation of a most agreeable and desirableacquaintance.'But it's a most extraordinary thing about that register-officefellow!' thought Nicholas. 'Is it likely that this nephew can knowanything about that beautiful girl? When Tim Linkinwater gave me tounderstand the other day that he was coming to take a share in thebusiness here, he said he had been superintending it in Germany forfour years, and that during the last six months he had been engagedin establishing an agency in the north of England. That's fouryears and a half--four years and a half. She can't be more thanseventeen--say eighteen at the outside. She was quite a child whenhe went away, then. I should say he knew nothing about her and hadnever seen her, so he can give me no information. At all events,'thought Nicholas, coming to the real point in his mind, 'there canbe no danger of any prior occupation of her affections in thatquarter; that's quite clear.'Is selfishness a necessary ingredient in the composition of thatpassion called love, or does it deserve all the fine things whichpoets, in the exercise of their undoubted vocation, have said of it?There are, no doubt, authenticated instances of gentlemen havinggiven up ladies and ladies having given up gentlemen to meritoriousrivals, under circumstances of great high-mindedness; but is itquite established that the majority of such ladies and gentlemenhave not made a virtue of necessity, and nobly resigned what wasbeyond their reach; as a private soldier might register a vow neverto accept the order of the Garter, or a poor curate of great pietyand learning, but of no family--save a very large family ofchildren--might renounce a bishopric?Here was Nicholas Nickleby, who would have scorned the thought ofcounting how the chances stood of his rising in favour or fortunewith the brothers Cheeryble, now that their nephew had returned,already deep in calculations whether that same nephew was likely torival him in the affections of the fair unknown--discussing thematter with himself too, as gravely as if, with that one exception,it were all settled; and recurring to the subject again and again,and feeling quite indignant and ill-used at the notion of anybodyelse making love to one with whom he had never exchanged a word inall his life. To be sure, he exaggerated rather than depreciatedthe merits of his new acquaintance; but still he took it as a kindof personal offence that he should have any merits at all--in theeyes of this particular young lady, that is; for elsewhere he wasquite welcome to have as many as he pleased. There was undoubtedselfishness in all this, and yet Nicholas was of a most free andgenerous nature, with as few mean or sordid thoughts, perhaps, asever fell to the lot of any man; and there is no reason to supposethat, being in love, he felt and thought differently from otherpeople in the like sublime condition.He did not stop to set on foot an inquiry into his train of thoughtor state of feeling, however; but went thinking on all the way home,and continued to dream on in the same strain all night. For, havingsatisfied himself that Frank Cheeryble could have no knowledge of,or acquaintance with, the mysterious young lady, it began to occurto him that even he himself might never see her again; upon whichhypothesis he built up a very ingenious succession of tormentingideas which answered his purpose even better than the vision of MrFrank Cheeryble, and tantalised and worried him, waking and sleeping.Notwithstanding all that has been said and sung to the contrary,there is no well-established case of morning having either deferredor hastened its approach by the term of an hour or so for the meregratification of a splenetic feeling against some unoffending lover:the sun having, in the discharge of his public duty, as the books ofprecedent report, invariably risen according to the almanacs, andwithout suffering himself to be swayed by any private considerations.So, morning came as usual, and with it business-hours, and withthem Mr Frank Cheeryble, and with him a long train of smiles andwelcomes from the worthy brothers, and a more grave and clerk-like,but scarcely less hearty reception from Mr Timothy Linkinwater.'That Mr Frank and Mr Nickleby should have met last night,' said TimLinkinwater, getting slowly off his stool, and looking round thecounting-house with his back planted against the desk, as was hiscustom when he had anything very particular to say: 'that those twoyoung men should have met last night in that manner is, I say, acoincidence, a remarkable coincidence. Why, I don't believe now,'added Tim, taking off his spectacles, and smiling as with gentlepride, 'that there's such a place in all the world for coincidencesas London is!''I don't know about that,' said Mr Frank; 'but--''Don't know about it, Mr Francis!' interrupted Tim, with anobstinate air. 'Well, but let us know. If there is any betterplace for such things, where is it? Is it in Europe? No, that itisn't. Is it in Asia? Why, of course it's not. Is it in Africa?Not a bit of it. Is it in America? You know better than that, atall events. Well, then,' said Tim, folding his arms resolutely,'where is it?''I was not about to dispute the point, Tim,' said young Cheeryble,laughing. 'I am not such a heretic as that. All I was going to saywas, that I hold myself under an obligation to the coincidence,that's all.''Oh! if you don't dispute it,' said Tim, quite satisfied, 'that'sanother thing. I'll tell you what though. I wish you had. I wishyou or anybody would. I would so put that man down,' said Tim,tapping the forefinger of his left hand emphatically with hisspectacles, 'so put that man down by argument--'It was quite impossible to find language to express the degree ofmental prostration to which such an adventurous wight would bereduced in the keen encounter with Tim Linkinwater, so Tim gave upthe rest of his declaration in pure lack of words, and mounted hisstool again.'We may consider ourselves, brother Ned,' said Charles, after he hadpatted Tim Linkinwater approvingly on the back, 'very fortunate inhaving two such young men about us as our nephew Frank and MrNickleby. It should be a source of great satisfaction and pleasureto us.''Certainly, Charles, certainly,' returned the other.'Of Tim,' added brother Ned, 'I say nothing whatever, because Tim isa mere child--an infant--a nobody that we never think of or takeinto account at all. Tim, you villain, what do you say to that,sir?''I am jealous of both of 'em,' said Tim, 'and mean to look out foranother situation; so provide yourselves, gentlemen, if you please.'Tim thought this such an exquisite, unparalleled, and mostextraordinary joke, that he laid his pen upon the inkstand, andrather tumbling off his stool than getting down with his usualdeliberation, laughed till he was quite faint, shaking his head allthe time so that little particles of powder flew palpably about theoffice. Nor were the brothers at all behind-hand, for they laughedalmost as heartily at the ludicrous idea of any voluntary separationbetween themselves and old Tim. Nicholas and Mr Frank laughed quiteboisterously, perhaps to conceal some other emotion awakened by thislittle incident, (and so, indeed, did the three old fellows afterthe first burst,) so perhaps there was as much keen enjoyment andrelish in that laugh, altogether, as the politest assembly everderived from the most poignant witticism uttered at any one person'sexpense.'Mr Nickleby,' said brother Charles, calling him aside, and takinghim kindly by the hand, 'I--I--am anxious, my dear sir, to see thatyou are properly and comfortably settled in the cottage. We cannotallow those who serve us well to labour under any privation ordiscomfort that it is in our power to remove. I wish, too, to seeyour mother and sister: to know them, Mr Nickleby, and have anopportunity of relieving their minds by assuring them that anytrifling service we have been able to do them is a great deal morethan repaid by the zeal and ardour you display.--Not a word, my dearsir, I beg. Tomorrow is Sunday. I shall make bold to come out atteatime, and take the chance of finding you at home; if you are not,you know, or the ladies should feel a delicacy in being intruded on,and would rather not be known to me just now, why I can come againanother time, any other time would do for me. Let it remain uponthat understanding. Brother Ned, my dear fellow, let me have a wordwith you this way.'The twins went out of the office arm-in-arm, and Nicholas, who sawin this act of kindness, and many others of which he had been thesubject that morning, only so many delicate renewals on the arrivalof their nephew of the kind assurance which the brothers had givenhim in his absence, could scarcely feel sufficient admiration andgratitude for such extraordinary consideration.The intelligence that they were to have visitor--and such a visitor--next day, awakened in the breast of Mrs Nickleby mingled feelingsof exultation and regret; for whereas on the one hand she hailed itas an omen of her speedy restoration to good society and the almost-forgotten pleasures of morning calls and evening tea-drinkings, shecould not, on the other, but reflect with bitterness of spirit onthe absence of a silver teapot with an ivory knob on the lid, and amilk-jug to match, which had been the pride of her heart in days ofyore, and had been kept from year's end to year's end wrapped up inwash-leather on a certain top shelf which now presented itself inlively colours to her sorrowing imagination.'I wonder who's got that spice-box,' said Mrs Nickleby, shaking herhead. 'It used to stand in the left-hand corner, next but two tothe pickled onions. You remember that spice-box, Kate?''Perfectly well, mama.''I shouldn't think you did, Kate,' returned Mrs Nickleby, in asevere manner, 'talking about it in that cold and unfeeling way! Ifthere is any one thing that vexes me in these losses more than thelosses themselves, I do protest and declare,' said Mrs Nickleby,rubbing her nose with an impassioned air, 'that it is to have peopleabout me who take things with such provoking calmness.''My dear mama,' said Kate, stealing her arm round her mother'sneck, 'why do you say what I know you cannot seriously mean orthink, or why be angry with me for being happy and content? You andNicholas are left to me, we are together once again, and what regardcan I have for a few trifling things of which we never feel thewant? When I have seen all the misery and desolation that death canbring, and known the lonesome feeling of being solitary and alone incrowds, and all the agony of separation in grief and poverty when wemost needed comfort and support from each other, can you wonder thatI look upon this as a place of such delicious quiet and rest, thatwith you beside me I have nothing to wish for or regret? There wasa time, and not long since, when all the comforts of our old homedid come back upon me, I own, very often--oftener than you wouldthink perhaps--but I affected to care nothing for them, in the hopethat you would so be brought to regret them the less. I was notinsensible, indeed. I might have felt happier if I had been. Dearmama,' said Kate, in great agitation, 'I know no difference betweenthis home and that in which we were all so happy for so many years,except that the kindest and gentlest heart that ever ached on earthhas passed in peace to heaven.''Kate my dear, Kate,' cried Mrs Nickleby, folding her in her arms.'I have so often thought,' sobbed Kate, 'of all his kind words--ofthe last time he looked into my little room, as he passed upstairsto bed, and said "God bless you, darling." There was a paleness inhis face, mama--the broken heart--I know it was--I little thoughtso--then--'A gush of tears came to her relief, and Kate laid her head upon hermother's breast, and wept like a little child.It is an exquisite and beautiful thing in our nature, that when theheart is touched and softened by some tranquil happiness oraffectionate feeling, the memory of the dead comes over it mostpowerfully and irresistibly. It would almost seem as though ourbetter thoughts and sympathies were charms, in virtue of which thesoul is enabled to hold some vague and mysterious intercourse withthe spirits of those whom we dearly loved in life. Alas! how oftenand how long may those patient angels hover above us, watching forthe spell which is so seldom uttered, and so soon forgotten!Poor Mrs Nickleby, accustomed to give ready utterance to whatevercame uppermost in her mind, had never conceived the possibility ofher daughter's dwelling upon these thoughts in secret, the moreespecially as no hard trial or querulous reproach had ever drawnthem from her. But now, when the happiness of all that Nicholas hadjust told them, and of their new and peaceful life, brought theserecollections so strongly upon Kate that she could not suppressthem, Mrs Nickleby began to have a glimmering that she had beenrather thoughtless now and then, and was conscious of something likeself-reproach as she embraced her daughter, and yielded to theemotions which such a conversation naturally awakened.There was a mighty bustle that night, and a vast quantity ofpreparation for the expected visitor, and a very large nosegay wasbrought from a gardener's hard by, and cut up into a number of verysmall ones, with which Mrs Nickleby would have garnished the littlesitting-room, in a style that certainly could not have failed toattract anybody's attention, if Kate had not offered to spare herthe trouble, and arranged them in the prettiest and neatest mannerpossible. If the cottage ever looked pretty, it must have been onsuch a bright and sunshiny day as the next day was. But Smike'spride in the garden, or Mrs Nickleby's in the condition of thefurniture, or Kate's in everything, was nothing to the pride withwhich Nicholas looked at Kate herself; and surely the costliestmansion in all England might have found in her beautiful face andgraceful form its most exquisite and peerless ornament.About six o'clock in the afternoon Mrs Nickleby was thrown into agreat flutter of spirits by the long-expected knock at the door, norwas this flutter at all composed by the audible tread of two pair ofboots in the passage, which Mrs Nickleby augured, in a breathlessstate, must be 'the two Mr Cheerybles;' as it certainly was, thoughnot the two Mrs Nickleby expected, because it was Mr CharlesCheeryble, and his nephew, Mr Frank, who made a thousand apologiesfor his intrusion, which Mrs Nickleby (having tea-spoons enough andto spare for all) most graciously received. Nor did the appearanceof this unexpected visitor occasion the least embarrassment, (savein Kate, and that only to the extent of a blush or two at first,)for the old gentleman was so kind and cordial, and the younggentleman imitated him in this respect so well, that the usualstiffness and formality of a first meeting showed no signs ofappearing, and Kate really more than once detected herself in thevery act of wondering when it was going to begin.At the tea-table there was plenty of conversation on a great varietyof subjects, nor were there wanting jocose matters of discussion,such as they were; for young Mr Cheeryble's recent stay in Germanyhappening to be alluded to, old Mr Cheeryble informed the companythat the aforesaid young Mr Cheeryble was suspected to have fallendeeply in love with the daughter of a certain German burgomaster.This accusation young Mr Cheeryble most indignantly repelled, uponwhich Mrs Nickleby slyly remarked, that she suspected, from the verywarmth of the denial, there must be something in it. Young MrCheeryble then earnestly entreated old Mr Cheeryble to confess thatit was all a jest, which old Mr Cheeryble at last did, young MrCheeryble being so much in earnest about it, that--as Mrs Nicklebysaid many thousand times afterwards in recalling the scene--he'quite coloured,' which she rightly considered a memorablecircumstance, and one worthy of remark, young men not being as aclass remarkable for modesty or self-denial, especially when thereis a lady in the case, when, if they colour at all, it is rathertheir practice to colour the story, and not themselves.After tea there was a walk in the garden, and the evening being veryfine they strolled out at the garden-gate into some lanes and bye-roads, and sauntered up and down until it grew quite dark. The timeseemed to pass very quickly with all the party. Kate went first,leaning upon her brother's arm, and talking with him and Mr FrankCheeryble; and Mrs Nickleby and the elder gentleman followed at ashort distance, the kindness of the good merchant, his interest inthe welfare of Nicholas, and his admiration of Kate, so operatingupon the good lady's feelings, that the usual current of her speechwas confined within very narrow and circumscribed limits. Smike(who, if he had ever been an object of interest in his life, hadbeen one that day) accompanied them, joining sometimes one group andsometimes the other, as brother Charles, laying his hand upon hisshoulder, bade him walk with him, or Nicholas, looking smilinglyround, beckoned him to come and talk with the old friend whounderstood him best, and who could win a smile into his carewornface when none else could.Pride is one of the seven deadly sins; but it cannot be the pride ofa mother in her children, for that is a compound of two cardinalvirtues--faith and hope. This was the pride which swelled MrsNickleby's heart that night, and this it was which left upon herface, glistening in the light when they returned home, traces of themost grateful tears she had ever shed.There was a quiet mirth about the little supper, which harmonisedexactly with this tone of feeling, and at length the two gentlementook their leave. There was one circumstance in the leave-takingwhich occasioned a vast deal of smiling and pleasantry, and thatwas, that Mr Frank Cheeryble offered his hand to Kate twice over,quite forgetting that he had bade her adieu already. This was heldby the elder Mr Cheeryble to be a convincing proof that he wasthinking of his German flame, and the jest occasioned immenselaughter. So easy is it to move light hearts.In short, it was a day of serene and tranquil happiness; and as weall have some bright day--many of us, let us hope, among a crowd ofothers--to which we revert with particular delight, so this one wasoften looked back to afterwards, as holding a conspicuous place inthe calendar of those who shared it.Was there one exception, and that one he who needed to have beenmost happy?Who was that who, in the silence of his own chamber, sunk upon hisknees to pray as his first friend had taught him, and folding hishands and stretching them wildly in the air, fell upon his face in apassion of bitter grief?