Part 13 (1/2)

Kate was about to thank hiain, but he stopped her

'I had so for your mother in a pleasant part of the country-(he had a presentation to some almshouses on the borders of Cornwall, which had occurred to hiether, Ielse for her She has a little money?'

'A very little,' replied Kate

'A little will go a long way if it's used sparingly,' said Ralph 'Sherent free You leave your lodgings on Saturday?'

'You told us to do so, uncle'

'Yes; there is a house es to me, which I can put you into till it is let, and then, if nothing else turns up, perhaps I shall have another You must live there'

'Is it far from here, sir?' inquired Kate

'Pretty well,' said Ralph; 'in another quarter of the town-at the East end; but I'll send my clerk down to you, at five o'clock on Saturday, to take you there Goodbye You know your way? Straight on'

Coldly shaking his niece's hand, Ralph left her at the top of Regent Street, and turned down a by-thoroughfare, intent on sches in the Strand

CHAPTER 11

News inducts Mrs and Miss Nickleby into their Neelling in the City Miss Nickleby's reflections, as she wended her way ho nature which the occurrences of thehad been sufficiently calculated to awaken Her uncle's was not a ht have forlimpse she had had of Mada It ith s, therefore, that she looked forward, with a heavy heart, to the opening of her new career

If her mother's consolations could have restored her to a pleasanter and more enviable state of mind, there were abundance of theood lady had called to mind two authentic cases of milliners who had been possessed of considerable property, though whether they had acquired it all in business, or had had a capital to start with, or had been lucky and e, she could not exactly reically re person in that way of business who had in with, and that being taken for granted, why should not Kate do the same? Miss La Creevy, as a member of the little council, ventured to insinuate some doubts relative to the probability of Miss Nickleby's arriving at this happy consuood lady set that question entirely at rest, by infor them that she had a presentiht hich she had been in the habit of clenching every argument with the deceased Mr Nickleby, and, in nine cases and three-quarters out of every ten, deter way

'I am afraid it is an unhealthy occupation,' said Miss La Creevy 'I recollect getting three young an to paint, and I remember that they were all very pale and sickly'

'Oh! that's not a general rule by any means,' observed Mrs Nickleby; 'for I re one that I was particularly recommended to, to make me a scarlet cloak at the time when scarlet cloaks were fashi+onable, and she had a very red face-a very red face, indeed'

'Perhaps she drank,' suggested Miss La Creevy

'I don't kno that may have been,' returned Mrs Nickleby: 'but I know she had a very red face, so your argu'

In this , did the worthy matron meet every little objection that presented itself to the new sche Happy Mrs Nickleby! A project had but to be new, and it calittering toy

This question disposed of, Kate communicated her uncle's desire about the empty house, to which Mrs Nickleby assented with equal readiness, characteristically res, it would be a pleasant ahter ho, that there were such things as wet nights and bad weather to be encountered in almost every week of the year

'I shall be sorry-truly sorry to leave you,of the poor miniature painter had made a deep impression

'You shall not shake me off, for all that,' replied Miss La Creevy, with as htliness as she could assuet on; and if, in all London, or all the orld besides, there is no other heart that takes an interest in your welfare, there will be one little lonely woht and day'

With this, the poor soul, who had a heart big enough for Gog, the guardian genius of London, and enough to spare for Magog to boot, after reat many extraordinary faces which would have secured her an ample fortune, could she have transferred them to ivory or canvas, sat down in a corner, and had what she ter, or hoping, or fearing, could keep off the dreaded Saturday afternoon, or News either; who, punctual to his tiin through the keyhole, exactly as such of the church clocks in the neighbourhood as agreed a themselves about the time, struck five Neaited for the last stroke, and then knocked

'Fro his errand, when he got upstairs, with all possible brevity

'We shall be ready directly,' said Kate 'We have not et one,' replied Newman

'Indeed you shall not trouble yourself,' said Mrs Nickleby

'I will,' said New,' said Mrs Nickleby

'You can't help it,' said Newht of it as I cahtn't be ready I think of a great s nobody can prevent that'

'Oh yes, I understand you, Mr Noggs,' said Mrs Nickleby 'Our thoughts are free, of course Everybody's thoughts are their own, clearly'

'They wouldn't be, if some people had their way,' s, and that's very true,' rejoined Mrs Nickleby 'Some people to be sure are such-how's your lance at Kate, and replied with a strong emphasis on the last word of his answer, that Mr Ralph Nickleby ell, and sent his LOVE

'I aed to him,' observed Mrs Nickleby

'Very,' said Newman 'I'll tell his, after having once seen hiularity of his manner (in which on this occasion, however, there was so the abruptness of his speech), looked at hiliure before

'Excuse my curiosity,' she said, 'but did I not see you in the coachyard, on themy brother went away to Yorkshi+re?'

Newlance on Mrs Nickleby and said 'No,' ly

'No!' exclaimed Kate, 'I should have said so anywhere'

'You'd have said wrong,' rejoined Newman 'It's the first tiout'

Neas very, very far froouty subject, and so Kate could not help thinking; but the conference was cut short by Mrs Nickleby's insisting on having the door shut, lest Mr Noggs should take cold, and further persisting in sending the servant girl for a coach, for fear he should bring on another attack of his disorder To both conditions, Neas compelled to yield Presently, the coach careat deal of running backwards and forwards across the pavement on the part of Miss La Creevy, in the course of which the yellow turban caers, it (that is to say the coach, not the turban) went away again, with the two ladies and their luggage inside; and Newman, despite all Mrs Nickleby's assurances that it would be his death-on the box beside the driver

They went into the city, turning down by the river side; and, after a long and very slow drive, the streets being crowded at that hour with vehicles of every kind, stopped in front of a large old dingy house in Thames Street: the door and s of which were so bespattered with mud, that it would have appeared to have been uninhabited for years