Chapter 54

by Charles Dickens

　　The Crisis of the Project and its ResultThere are not many men who lie abed too late, or oversleepthemselves, on their wedding morning. A legend there is of somebodyremarkable for absence of mind, who opened his eyes upon the daywhich was to give him a young wife, and forgetting all about thematter, rated his servants for providing him with such fine clothesas had been prepared for the festival. There is also a legend of ayoung gentleman, who, not having before his eyes the fear of thecanons of the church for such cases made and provided, conceived apassion for his grandmother. Both cases are of a singular andspecial kind and it is very doubtful whether either can beconsidered as a precedent likely to be extensively followed bysucceeding generations.Arthur Gride had enrobed himself in his marriage garments of bottle-green, a full hour before Mrs Sliderskew, shaking off her more heavyslumbers, knocked at his chamber door; and he had hobbled downstairsin full array and smacked his lips over a scanty taste of hisfavourite cordial, ere that delicate piece of antiquity enlightenedthe kitchen with her presence.'Faugh!' said Peg, grubbing, in the discharge of her domesticfunctions, among a scanty heap of ashes in the rusty grate.'Wedding indeed! A precious wedding! He wants somebody better thanhis old Peg to take care of him, does he? And what has he said tome, many and many a time, to keep me content with short food, smallwages, and little fire? "My will, Peg! my will!" says he: "I'm abachelor--no friends--no relations, Peg." Lies! And now he's tobring home a new mistress, a baby-faced chit of a girl! If hewanted a wife, the fool, why couldn't he have one suitable to hisage, and that knew his ways? She won't come in my way, he says.No, that she won't, but you little think why, Arthur boy!'While Mrs Sliderskew, influenced possibly by some lingering feelingsof disappointment and personal slight, occasioned by her oldmaster's preference for another, was giving loose to thesegrumblings below stairs, Arthur Gride was cogitating in the parlourupon what had taken place last night.'I can't think how he can have picked up what he knows,' saidArthur, 'unless I have committed myself--let something drop atBray's, for instance--which has been overheard. Perhaps I may. Ishouldn't be surprised if that was it. Mr Nickleby was often angryat my talking to him before we got outside the door. I mustn't tellhim that part of the business, or he'll put me out of sorts, andmake me nervous for the day.'Ralph was universally looked up to, and recognised among his fellowsas a superior genius, but upon Arthur Gride his stern unyieldingcharacter and consummate art had made so deep an impression, that hewas actually afraid of him. Cringing and cowardly to the core bynature, Arthur Gride humbled himself in the dust before RalphNickleby, and, even when they had not this stake in common, wouldhave licked his shoes and crawled upon the ground before him ratherthan venture to return him word for word, or retort upon him in anyother spirit than one of the most slavish and abject sycophancy.To Ralph Nickleby's, Arthur Gride now betook himself according toappointment; and to Ralph Nickleby he related how, last night, someyoung blustering blade, whom he had never seen, forced his way intohis house, and tried to frighten him from the proposed nuptials.Told, in short, what Nicholas had said and done, with the slightreservation upon which he had determined.'Well, and what then?' said Ralph.'Oh! nothing more,' rejoined Gride.'He tried to frighten you,' said Ralph, 'and you were frightened Isuppose; is that it?''I frightened him by crying thieves and murder,' replied Gride.'Once I was in earnest, I tell you that, for I had more than half amind to swear he uttered threats, and demanded my life or my money.''Oho!' said Ralph, eyeing him askew. 'Jealous too!''Dear now, see that!' cried Arthur, rubbing his hands and affectingto laugh.'Why do you make those grimaces, man?' said Ralph; 'you are jealous--and with good cause I think.''No, no, no; not with good cause, hey? You don't think with goodcause, do you?' cried Arthur, faltering. 'Do you though, hey?''Why, how stands the fact?' returned Ralph. 'Here is an old manabout to be forced in marriage upon a girl; and to this old manthere comes a handsome young fellow--you said he was handsome,didn't you?''No!' snarled Arthur Gride.'Oh!' rejoined Ralph, 'I thought you did. Well! Handsome or nothandsome, to this old man there comes a young fellow who casts allmanner of fierce defiances in his teeth--gums I should rather say--and tells him in plain terms that his mistress hates him. What doeshe do that for? Philanthropy's sake?''Not for love of the lady,' replied Gride, 'for he said that no wordof love--his very words--had ever passed between 'em.''He said!' repeated Ralph, contemptuously. 'But I like him for onething, and that is, his giving you this fair warning to keep your--what is it?--Tit-tit or dainty chick--which?--under lock and key.Be careful, Gride, be careful. It's a triumph, too, to tear heraway from a gallant young rival: a great triumph for an old man! Itonly remains to keep her safe when you have her--that's all.''What a man it is!' cried Arthur Gride, affecting, in the extremityof his torture, to be highly amused. And then he added, anxiously,'Yes; to keep her safe, that's all. And that isn't much, is it?''Much!' said Ralph, with a sneer. 'Why, everybody knows what easythings to understand and to control, women are. But come, it's verynearly time for you to be made happy. You'll pay the bond now, Isuppose, to save us trouble afterwards.''Oh what a man you are!' croaked Arthur.'Why not?' said Ralph. 'Nobody will pay you interest for the money,I suppose, between this and twelve o'clock; will they?''But nobody would pay you interest for it either, you know,'returned Arthur, leering at Ralph with all the cunning and slynesshe could throw into his face.'Besides which,' said Ralph, suffering his lip to curl into a smile,'you haven't the money about you, and you weren't prepared for this,or you'd have brought it with you; and there's nobody you'd so muchlike to accommodate as me. I see. We trust each other in about anequal degree. Are you ready?'Gride, who had done nothing but grin, and nod, and chatter, duringthis last speech of Ralph's, answered in the affirmative; and,producing from his hat a couple of large white favours, pinned oneon his breast, and with considerable difficulty induced his friendto do the like. Thus accoutred, they got into a hired coach whichRalph had in waiting, and drove to the residence of the fair andmost wretched bride.Gride, whose spirits and courage had gradually failed him more andmore as they approached nearer and nearer to the house, was utterlydismayed and cowed by the mournful silence which pervaded it. Theface of the poor servant girl, the only person they saw, wasdisfigured with tears and want of sleep. There was nobody toreceive or welcome them; and they stole upstairs into the usualsitting-room, more like two burglars than the bridegroom and hisfriend.'One would think,' said Ralph, speaking, in spite of himself, in alow and subdued voice, 'that there was a funeral going on here, andnot a wedding.''He, he!' tittered his friend, 'you are so--so very funny!''I need be,' remarked Ralph, drily, 'for this is rather dull andchilling. Look a little brisker, man, and not so hangdog like!''Yes, yes, I will,' said Gride. 'But--but--you don't think she'scoming just yet, do you?''Why, I suppose she'll not come till she is obliged,' returnedRalph, looking at his watch, 'and she has a good half-hour to spareyet. Curb your impatience.''I--I--am not impatient,' stammered Arthur. 'I wouldn't be hardwith her for the world. Oh dear, dear, not on any account. Let hertake her time--her own time. Her time shall be ours by all means.'While Ralph bent upon his trembling friend a keen look, which showedthat he perfectly understood the reason of this great considerationand regard, a footstep was heard upon the stairs, and Bray himselfcame into the room on tiptoe, and holding up his hand with acautious gesture, as if there were some sick person near, who mustnot be disturbed.'Hush!' he said, in a low voice. 'She was very ill last night. Ithought she would have broken her heart. She is dressed, and cryingbitterly in her own room; but she's better, and quite quiet. That'severything!''She is ready, is she?' said Ralph.'Quite ready,' returned the father.'And not likely to delay us by any young-lady weaknesses--fainting,or so forth?' said Ralph.'She may be safely trusted now,' returned Bray. 'I have beentalking to her this morning. Here! Come a little this way.'He drew Ralph Nickleby to the further end of the room, and pointedtowards Gride, who sat huddled together in a corner, fumblingnervously with the buttons of his coat, and exhibiting a face, ofwhich every skulking and base expression was sharpened andaggravated to the utmost by his anxiety and trepidation.'Look at that man,' whispered Bray, emphatically. 'This seems acruel thing, after all.''What seems a cruel thing?' inquired Ralph, with as much stolidityof face, as if he really were in utter ignorance of the other'smeaning.'This marriage,' answered Bray. 'Don't ask me what. You know aswell as I do.'Ralph shrugged his shoulders, in silent deprecation of Bray'simpatience, and elevated his eyebrows, and pursed his lips, as mendo when they are prepared with a sufficient answer to some remark,but wait for a more favourable opportunity of advancing it, or thinkit scarcely worth while to answer their adversary at all.'Look at him. Does it not seem cruel?' said Bray.'No!' replied Ralph, boldly.'I say it does,' retorted Bray, with a show of much irritation. 'Itis a cruel thing, by all that's bad and treacherous!'When men are about to commit, or to sanction the commission of someinjustice, it is not uncommon for them to express pity for theobject either of that or some parallel proceeding, and to feelthemselves, at the time, quite virtuous and moral, and immenselysuperior to those who express no pity at all. This is a kind ofupholding of faith above works, and is very comfortable. To doRalph Nickleby justice, he seldom practised this sort ofdissimulation; but he understood those who did, and thereforesuffered Bray to say, again and again, with great vehemence, thatthey were jointly doing a very cruel thing, before he again offeredto interpose a word.'You see what a dry, shrivelled, withered old chip it is,' returnedRalph, when the other was at length silent. 'If he were younger, itmight be cruel, but as it is--harkee, Mr Bray, he'll die soon, andleave her a rich young widow! Miss Madeline consults your tastesthis time; let her consult her own next.''True, true,' said Bray, biting his nails, and plainly very ill atease. 'I couldn't do anything better for her than advise her toaccept these proposals, could I? Now, I ask you, Nickleby, as a manof the world; could I?''Surely not,' answered Ralph. 'I tell you what, sir; there are ahundred fathers, within a circuit of five miles from this place;well off; good, rich, substantial men; who would gladly give theirdaughters, and their own ears with them, to that very man yonder,ape and mummy as he looks.''So there are!' exclaimed Bray, eagerly catching at anything whichseemed a justification of himself. 'And so I told her, both lastnight and today.''You told her truth,' said Ralph, 'and did well to do so; though Imust say, at the same time, that if I had a daughter, and myfreedom, pleasure, nay, my very health and life, depended on hertaking a husband whom I pointed out, I should hope it would not benecessary to advance any other arguments to induce her to consent tomy wishes.'Bray looked at Ralph as if to see whether he spoke in earnest, andhaving nodded twice or thrice in unqualified assent to what hadfallen from him, said:'I must go upstairs for a few minutes, to finish dressing. When Icome down, I'll bring Madeline with me. Do you know, I had a verystrange dream last night, which I have not remembered till thisinstant. I dreamt that it was this morning, and you and I had beentalking as we have been this minute; that I went upstairs, for thevery purpose for which I am going now; and that as I stretched outmy hand to take Madeline's, and lead her down, the floor sunk withme, and after falling from such an indescribable and tremendousheight as the imagination scarcely conceives, except in dreams, Ialighted in a grave.''And you awoke, and found you were lying on your back, or with yourhead hanging over the bedside, or suffering some pain fromindigestion?' said Ralph. 'Pshaw, Mr Bray! Do as I do (you willhave the opportunity, now that a constant round of pleasure andenjoyment opens upon you), and, occupying yourself a little more byday, have no time to think of what you dream by night.'Ralph followed him, with a steady look, to the door; and, turning tothe bridegroom, when they were again alone, said,'Mark my words, Gride, you won't have to pay his annuity very long.You have the devil's luck in bargains, always. If he is not bookedto make the long voyage before many months are past and gone, I wearan orange for a head!'To this prophecy, so agreeable to his ears, Arthur returned noanswer than a cackle of great delight. Ralph, throwing himself intoa chair, they both sat waiting in profound silence. Ralph wasthinking, with a sneer upon his lips, on the altered manner of Braythat day, and how soon their fellowship in a bad design had loweredhis pride and established a familiarity between them, when hisattentive ear caught the rustling of a female dress upon the stairs,and the footstep of a man.'Wake up,' he said, stamping his foot impatiently upon the ground,'and be something like life, man, will you? They are here. Urgethose dry old bones of yours this way. Quick, man, quick!'Gride shambled forward, and stood, leering and bowing, close byRalph's side, when the door opened and there entered in haste--notBray and his daughter, but Nicholas and his sister Kate.If some tremendous apparition from the world of shadows had suddenlypresented itself before him, Ralph Nickleby could not have been morethunder-stricken than he was by this surprise. His hands fellpowerless by his side, he reeled back; and with open mouth, and aface of ashy paleness, stood gazing at them in speechless rage: hiseyes so prominent, and his face so convulsed and changed by thepassions which raged within him, that it would have been difficultto recognise in him the same stern, composed, hard-featured man hehad been not a minute ago.'The man that came to me last night,' whispered Gride, plucking athis elbow. 'The man that came to me last night!''I see,' muttered Ralph, 'I know! I might have guessed as muchbefore. Across my every path, at every turn, go where I will, dowhat I may, he comes!'The absence of all colour from the face; the dilated nostril; thequivering of the lips which, though set firmly against each other,would not be still; showed what emotions were struggling for themastery with Nicholas. But he kept them down, and gently pressingKate's arm to reassure her, stood erect and undaunted, front tofront with his unworthy relative.As the brother and sister stood side by side, with a gallant bearingwhich became them well, a close likeness between them was apparent,which many, had they only seen them apart, might have failed toremark. The air, carriage, and very look and expression of thebrother were all reflected in the sister, but softened and refinedto the nicest limit of feminine delicacy and attraction. Morestriking still was some indefinable resemblance, in the face ofRalph, to both. While they had never looked more handsome, nor hemore ugly; while they had never held themselves more proudly, nor heshrunk half so low; there never had been a time when thisresemblance was so perceptible, or when all the worst characteristicsof a face rendered coarse and harsh by evil thoughts were half somanifest as now.'Away!' was the first word he could utter as he literally gnashedhis teeth. 'Away! What brings you here? Liar, scoundrel, dastard,thief!''I come here,' said Nicholas in a low deep voice, 'to save yourvictim if I can. Liar and scoundrel you are, in every action ofyour life; theft is your trade; and double dastard you must be, oryou were not here today. Hard words will not move me, nor wouldhard blows. Here I stand, and will, till I have done my errand.''Girl!' said Ralph, 'retire! We can use force to him, but I wouldnot hurt you if I could help it. Retire, you weak and silly wench,and leave this dog to be dealt with as he deserves.''I will not retire,' cried Kate, with flashing eyes and the redblood mantling in her cheeks. 'You will do him no hurt that he willnot repay. You may use force with me; I think you will, for I am agirl, and that would well become you. But if I have a girl'sweakness, I have a woman's heart, and it is not you who in a causelike this can turn that from its purpose.''And what may your purpose be, most lofty lady?' said Ralph.'To offer to the unhappy subject of your treachery, at this lastmoment,' replied Nicholas, 'a refuge and a home. If the nearprospect of such a husband as you have provided will not prevailupon her, I hope she may be moved by the prayers and entreaties ofone of her own sex. At all events they shall be tried. I myself,avowing to her father from whom I come and by whom I amcommissioned, will render it an act of greater baseness, meanness,and cruelty in him if he still dares to force this marriage on.Here I wait to see him and his daughter. For this I came andbrought my sister even into your presence. Our purpose is not tosee or speak with you; therefore to you we stoop to say no more.''Indeed!' said Ralph. 'You persist in remaining here, ma'am, doyou?'His niece's bosom heaved with the indignant excitement into which hehad lashed her, but she gave him no reply.'Now, Gride, see here,' said Ralph. 'This fellow--I grieve to saymy brother's son: a reprobate and profligate, stained with everymean and selfish crime--this fellow, coming here today to disturb asolemn ceremony, and knowing that the consequence of his presentinghimself in another man's house at such a time, and persisting inremaining there, must be his being kicked into the streets anddragged through them like the vagabond he is--this fellow, mark you,brings with him his sister as a protection, thinking we would notexpose a silly girl to the degradation and indignity which is nonovelty to him; and, even after I have warned her of what mustensue, he still keeps her by him, as you see, and clings to herapron-strings like a cowardly boy to his mother's. Is not this apretty fellow to talk as big as you have heard him now?''And as I heard him last night,' said Arthur Gride; 'as I heard himlast night when he sneaked into my house, and--he! he! he!--verysoon sneaked out again, when I nearly frightened him to death. Andhe wanting to marry Miss Madeline too! Oh dear! Is there anythingelse he'd like? Anything else we can do for him, besides giving herup? Would he like his debts paid and his house furnished, and a fewbank notes for shaving paper if he shaves at all? He! he! he!''You will remain, girl, will you?' said Ralph, turning upon Kateagain, 'to be hauled downstairs like a drunken drab, as I swear youshall if you stop here? No answer! Thank your brother for whatfollows. Gride, call down Bray--and not his daughter. Let themkeep her above.''If you value your head,' said Nicholas, taking up a position beforethe door, and speaking in the same low voice in which he had spokenbefore, and with no more outward passion than he had beforedisplayed; 'stay where you are!''Mind me, and not him, and call down Bray,' said Ralph.'Mind yourself rather than either of us, and stay where you are!'said Nicholas.'Will you call down Bray?' cried Ralph.'Remember that you come near me at your peril,' said Nicholas.Gride hesitated. Ralph being, by this time, as furious as a baffledtiger, made for the door, and, attempting to pass Kate, clasped herarm roughly with his hand. Nicholas, with his eyes darting fire,seized him by the collar. At that moment, a heavy body fell withgreat violence on the floor above, and, in an instant afterwards,was heard a most appalling and terrific scream.They all stood still, and gazed upon each other. Scream succeededscream; a heavy pattering of feet succeeded; and many shrill voicesclamouring together were heard to cry, 'He is dead!''Stand off!' cried Nicholas, letting loose all the passion he hadrestrained till now; 'if this is what I scarcely dare to hope it is,you are caught, villains, in your own toils.'He burst from the room, and, darting upstairs to the quarter fromwhence the noise proceeded, forced his way through a crowd ofpersons who quite filled a small bed-chamber, and found Bray lyingon the floor quite dead; his daughter clinging to the body.'How did this happen?' he cried, looking wildly about him.Several voices answered together, that he had been observed, throughthe half-opened door, reclining in a strange and uneasy positionupon a chair; that he had been spoken to several times, and notanswering, was supposed to be asleep, until some person going in andshaking him by the arm, he fell heavily to the ground and wasdiscovered to be dead.'Who is the owner of this house?' said Nicholas, hastily.An elderly woman was pointed out to him; and to her he said, as heknelt down and gently unwound Madeline's arms from the lifeless massround which they were entwined: 'I represent this lady's nearestfriends, as her servant here knows, and must remove her from thisdreadful scene. This is my sister to whose charge you confide her.My name and address are upon that card, and you shall receive fromme all necessary directions for the arrangements that must be made.Stand aside, every one of you, and give me room and air for God'ssake!'The people fell back, scarce wondering more at what had justoccurred, than at the excitement and impetuosity of him who spoke.Nicholas, taking the insensible girl in his arms, bore her from thechamber and downstairs into the room he had just quitted, followedby his sister and the faithful servant, whom he charged to procure acoach directly, while he and Kate bent over their beautiful chargeand endeavoured, but in vain, to restore her to animation. The girlperformed her office with such expedition, that in a very fewminutes the coach was ready.Ralph Nickleby and Gride, stunned and paralysed by the awful eventwhich had so suddenly overthrown their schemes (it would nototherwise, perhaps, have made much impression on them), and carriedaway by the extraordinary energy and precipitation of Nicholas,which bore down all before him, looked on at these proceedings likemen in a dream or trance. It was not until every preparation wasmade for Madeline's immediate removal that Ralph broke silence bydeclaring she should not be taken away.'Who says so?' cried Nicholas, rising from his knee and confrontingthem, but still retaining Madeline's lifeless hand in his.'I!' answered Ralph, hoarsely.'Hush, hush!' cried the terrified Gride, catching him by the armagain. 'Hear what he says.''Ay!' said Nicholas, extending his disengaged hand in the air, 'hearwhat he says. That both your debts are paid in the one great debtof nature. That the bond, due today at twelve, is now waste paper.That your contemplated fraud shall be discovered yet. That yourschemes are known to man, and overthrown by Heaven. Wretches, thathe defies you both to do your worst.''This man,' said Ralph, in a voice scarcely intelligible, 'this manclaims his wife, and he shall have her.''That man claims what is not his, and he should not have her if hewere fifty men, with fifty more to back him,' said Nicholas.'Who shall prevent him?''I will.''By what right I should like to know,' said Ralph. 'By what right Iask?''By this right. That, knowing what I do, you dare not tempt mefurther,' said Nicholas, 'and by this better right; that those Iserve, and with whom you would have done me base wrong and injury,are her nearest and her dearest friends. In their name I bear herhence. Give way!''One word!' cried Ralph, foaming at the mouth.'Not one,' replied Nicholas, 'I will not hear of one--save this.Look to yourself, and heed this warning that I give you! Your dayis past, and night is comin' on.''My curse, my bitter, deadly curse, upon you, boy!''Whence will curses come at your command? Or what avails a curse orblessing from a man like you? I tell you, that misfortune anddiscovery are thickening about your head; that the structures youhave raised, through all your ill-spent life, are crumbling intodust; that your path is beset with spies; that this very day, tenthousand pounds of your hoarded wealth have gone in one greatcrash!'''Tis false!' cried Ralph, shrinking back.''Tis true, and you shall find it so. I have no more words towaste. Stand from the door. Kate, do you go first. Lay not a handon her, or on that woman, or on me, or so much a brush theirgarments as they pass you by!--You let them pass, and he blocks thedoor again!'Arthur Gride happened to be in the doorway, but whetherintentionally or from confusion was not quite apparent. Nicholasswung him away, with such violence as to cause him to spin round theroom until he was caught by a sharp angle of the wall, and thereknocked down; and then taking his beautiful burden in his armsrushed out. No one cared to stop him, if any were so disposed.Making his way through a mob of people, whom a report of thecircumstances had attracted round the house, and carrying Madeline,in his excitement, as easily as if she were an infant, he reachedthe coach in which Kate and the girl were already waiting, and,confiding his charge to them, jumped up beside the coachman and badehim drive away.