Part 14 (1/2)

'Because they can't help it, irl; 'the reason's plain' (If Miss Squeers were the reason, it was very plain) 'Never let ain,' retorted Miss Squeers 'Never! Do you hear? 'Tilda Price has faults-many faults-but I wish her well, and above all I wish her hly desirable-s-that she should be married as soon as possible No, Phib Let her have Mr Browdie I ard for 'Tilda, and only hope she may make a better wife than I think she will'

With this effusion of feeling, Miss Squeers went to bed

Spite is a little word; but it represents as strange a jus, and coe Miss Squeers kneell in her heart of hearts that what theflattery, as did the girl herself; yet the ainst the offending Miss Price, and affecting to coh only in the presence of a solitary dependant, was alreat a relief to her spleen as if the whole had been gospel truth Nay, more We have such extraordinary powers of persuasion when they are exerted over ourselves, that Miss Squeers felt quite high-reat after her noble renunciation of John Browdie's hand, and looked down upon her rival with a kind of holy cal her ruffled feelings

This happy state ofabout a reconciliation; for, when a knock cahter was announced, Miss Squeers betook herself to the parlour in a Christian frame of spirit, perfectly beautiful to behold

'Well, fanny,' said the h we HAD soht'

'I pity your bad passions, 'Tilda,' replied Miss Squeers, 'but I bear no malice I am above it'

'Don't be cross, fanny,' said Miss Price 'I have co that I knoill please you'

'Whatup her lips, and looking as if nothing in earth, air, fire, or water, could afford her the slightest gleam of satisfaction

'This,' rejoined Miss Price 'After we left here last night John and I had a dreadful quarrel'

'That doesn't please h

'Lor! I wouldn't think so bad of you as to suppose it did,' rejoined her companion 'That's not it'

'Oh!' said Miss Squeers, relapsing into , and saying ould never see each other anyJohn went and wrote our names down to be put up, for the first time, next Sunday, so we shall be et your frock ence The prospect of the friend's being all, and the certainty of her not entertaining serious designs upon Nicholas was the honey Upon the whole, the sweet greatly preponderated over the bitter, so Miss Squeers said she would get the frock h at the same time she didn't know, and would not have her build too reat many le again with all their hearts; to which condolences Miss Squeers added others equally calculated to raise her friend's spirits and promote her cheerfulness of mind

'But come now, fanny,' said Miss Price, 'I want to have a word or tith you about young Mr Nickleby'

'He is nothing to me,' interrupted Miss Squeers, with hysterical symptoms 'I despise him too much!'

'Oh, you don't mean that, I am sure?' replied her friend 'Confess, fanny; don't you like hi any direct reply, Miss Squeers, all at once, fell into a paroxysm of spiteful tears, and exclailected, miserable castaway

'I hate everybody,' said Miss Squeers, 'and I wish that everybody was dead-that I do'

'Dear, dear,' said Miss Price, quite moved by this avowal of misanthropical sentiments 'You are not serious, I aht knots in her pocket-handkerchief and clenching her teeth 'And I wish I was dead too There!'

'Oh! you'll think very differently in another five minutes,' said Matilda 'How ain, than to hurt yourself by going on in that way Wouldn't it be ood ter, pleasant sort of manner?'

'I don't know but what it would,' sobbed Miss Squeers 'Oh! 'Tilda, how could you have acted so mean and dishonourable! I wouldn't have believed it of you, if anybody had told'One would suppose I had been h as bad,' said Miss Squeers passionately

'And all this because I happen to have enough of good looks to make people civil to me,' cried Miss Price 'Persons don't ood one than it is other people's fault if theirs is a bad one'

'Hold your tongue,' shrieked Miss Squeers, in her shrillest tone; 'or you'll make me slap you, 'Tilda, and afterwards I should be sorry for it!'

It is needless to say, that, by this tiree affected by the tone of her conversation, and that a dash of personality was infused into the altercation, in consequence Indeed, the quarrel, froht, and was assu into a great passion of tears, exclai spoken to in that hich exclaht on an explanation: and the upshot was, that they fell into each other's arms and vowed eternal friendshi+p; the occasion in questionthe same impressive cere thus restored, a dialogue naturally ensued upon the nuarments which would be indispensable for Miss Price's entrance into the holy state of reat many more than the miller could, or would, afford, were absolutely necessary, and could not decently be dispensed with The young lady then, by an easy digression, led the discourse to her oardrobe, and after recounting its principal beauties at soth, took her friend upstairs to make inspection thereof The treasures of two drawers and a closet having been displayed, and all the smaller articles tried on, it was time for Miss Price to return home; and as she had been in raptures with all the frocks, and had been stricken quite dumb with adood humour, that she would walk part of the ith her, for the pleasure of her co, as they walked along, upon her father's accoive her friend some faint notion of the vast importance and superiority of her fa the short daily interval which was suffered to elapse betas pleasantly called the dinner of Mr Squeers's pupils, and their return to the pursuit of useful knowledge, was precisely the hour when Nicholas was accustomed to issue forth for a melancholy walk, and to brood, as he sauntered listlessly through the village, upon his miserable lot Miss Squeers knew this perfectly well, but had perhaps forgotten it, for when she caught sight of that young gentle towards them, she evinced many symptoms of surprise and consternation, and assured her friend that she 'felt fit to drop into the earth'

'Shall we turn back, or run into a cottage?' asked Miss Price 'He don't see us yet'

'No, 'Tilda,' replied Miss Squeers, 'it is h with it, and I will!'

As Miss Squeers said this, in the tone of one who has h moral resolution, and was, besides, taken with one or two chokes and catchings of breath, indicative of feelings at a high pressure, her friend ht down upon Nicholas, alking with his eyes bent upon the ground, was not aware of their approach until they were close upon hiht, perhaps, have taken shelter hi and passing by

'He is going,' murmured Miss Squeers 'I shall choke, 'Tilda'

'Co alarm at her friend's threat, but really actuated by a malicious wish to hear what Nicholas would say; 'come back, Mr Nickleby!'

Mr Nickleby caht be, as he inquired whether the ladies had any coed Miss Price, hastily; 'but support her on the other side How do you feel now, dear?'

'Better,' sighed Miss Squeers, laying a beaver bonnet of a reddish broith a green veil attached, on Mr Nickleby's shoulder 'This foolish faintness!'

'Don't call it foolish, dear,' said Miss Price: her bright eye dancing with merriment as she saw the perplexity of Nicholas; 'you have no reason to be ashaain, without all this to-do, that ought to be ashamed'

'You are resolved to fix it upon h I told you, last night, it was not my fault'

'There; he says it was not his fault, my dear,' remarked the wicked Miss Price 'Perhaps you were too jealous, or too hasty with him? He says it was not his fault You hear; I think that's apology enough'

'You will not understand , for I have no time, and really no inclination, to be the subject or promoter of mirth just now'

'What do youamazement

'Don't ask hiive him'

'Dear me,' said Nicholas, as the brown bonnet went down on his shoulder again, 'this is oodness to hear arding with ned astonishment a look of tender reproach from Miss Squeers, shrunk back a few paces to be out of the reach of the fair burden, and went on to say: 'I a been the cause of any difference aht I reproachbeen so unfortunate as to cause the dissension that occurred, although I did so, I assure you, ly and heedlessly'

'Well; that's not all you have got to say surely,' exclaimed Miss Price as Nicholas paused

'I fear there is sotowards Miss Squeers, 'it is ato say-but-the very mention of such a supposition makes one look like a puppy-still-may I ask if that lady supposes that I entertain any-in short, does she think that I aht Miss Squeers, 'I have brought him to it, at last Answer for me, dear,' she whispered to her friend