Part 20 (1/2)

'Very good'

'Occasionally, perhaps, the writing from your dictation; and possibly, sir,' said Nicholas, with a half-s of your speech for some public journal, when you have made one of more than usual isbury 'What else?'

'Really,' said Nicholas, after a moment's reflection, 'I am not able, at this instant, to recapitulate any other duty of a secretary, beyond the general one of reeable and useful to his employer as he can, consistently with his own respectability, and without overstepping that line of duties which he undertakes to perfornation of his office is usually understood to isbury looked fixedly at Nicholas for a short ti warily round the room, said in a suppressed voice: 'This is all very well, Mr-what is your name?'

'Nickleby'

'This is all very well, Mr Nickleby, and very proper, so far as it goes-so far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough There are other duties, Mr Nickleby, which a secretary to a parliaht of I should require to be cra your pardon,' interposed Nicholas, doubtful whether he had heard aright

'-To be cra your pardon again, if I inquire what you , sir, is perfectly plain,' replied Mr Gregsbury with a solemn aspect 'My secretary would have to n policy of the world, as it is mirrored in the newspapers; to run his eye over all accounts of public s of public bodies; and to ht be made a point of, in any little speech upon the question of so of that kind Do you understand?'

'I think I do, sir,' replied Nicholas

'Then,' said Mr Gregsbury, 'it would be necessary for him to raphs on passing events; such as ”Mysterious disappearance, and supposed suicide of a potboy,” or anything of that sort, upon which I ht found a question to the Secretary of State for the Home Department Then, he would have to copy the question, and asa little coood sense); and to send the manuscript in a frank to the local paper, with perhaps half-a-dozen lines of leader, to the effect, that I was always to be found in my place in parliament, and never shrunk from the responsible and arduous duties, and so forth You see?'

Nicholas bowed

'Besides which,' continued Mr Gregsbury, 'I should expect hiures in the printed tables, and to pick out a few results, so that I ht come out pretty well on timber duty questions, and finance questions, and so on; and I should like hiuments about the disastrous effects of a return to cash payments and a metallic currency, with a touch now and then about the exportation of bullion, and the E, which it's only necessary to talk fluently about, because nobody understands it Do you take me?'

'I think I understand,' said Nicholas

'With regard to such questions as are not political,' continued Mr Gregsbury, war; 'and which one can't be expected to care a curse about, beyond the natural care of not allowing inferior people to be as well off as ourselves-else where are our privileges?-I should wishspeeches, of a patriotic cast For instance, if any preposterous bill were brought forward, for giving poor grubbing devils of authors a right to their own property, I should like to say, that I for one would never consent to opposing an insur THE PEOPLE,-you understand?-that the creations of the pocket, beingto oneGod's, ought as a e-and if I was pleasantly disposed, I should like to make a joke about posterity, and say that those rote for posterity should be content to be rewarded by the approbation OF posterity; it ht take with the house, and could never do me any har about me or my jokes either-do you see?'

'I see that, sir,' replied Nicholas

'You must always bear in mind, in such cases as this, where our interests are not affected,' said Mr Gregsbury, 'to put it very strong about the people, because it comes out very well at election-time; and you could be as funny as you liked about the authors; because I believe the greater part of thes, and are not voters This is a hasty outline of the chief things you'd have to do, except waiting in the lobby every night, in case I forgot anything, and should want fresh cra in the front row of the gallery, and saying to the people about-'You see that gentleman, with his hand to his face, and his arsbury-the celebrated Mr Gregsbury,'-with any other little eulogiuht strike you at the reat rapidity; for he was out of breath-'and for salary, I don'tat once in round nuh it's s a week, and find yourself There!'

With this handsosbury once more threw himself back in his chair, and looked like a ately liberal, but is deter

'Fifteen shi+llings a week is not much,' said Nicholas, s a week not s a-'

'Pray do not suppose that I quarrel with the sum, sir,' replied Nicholas; 'for I am not ashamed to confess, that whatever it reat deal But the duties and responsibilities make the recompense small, and they are so very heavy that I fear to undertake them'

'Do you decline to undertake thesbury, with his hand on the bell-rope

'I fear they are too great for ood my will may be, sir,' replied Nicholas

'That is as much as to say that you had rather not accept the place, and that you consider fifteen shi+llings a week too little,' said Mr Gregsbury, ringing 'Do you decline it, sir?'

'I have no alternative but to do so,' replied Nicholas

'Door, Matthews!' said Mr Gregsbury, as the boy appeared

'I am sorry I have troubled you unnecessarily, sir,' said Nicholas

'I a his back upon hi, sir,' said Nicholas

'Door, Matthews!' cried Mr Gregsbury

The boy beckoned Nicholas, and tu lazily downstairs before him, opened the door, and ushered him into the street With a sad and pensive air, he retraced his steps hoether froht's supper, and was anxiously awaiting his return The occurrences of thehad not improved Nicholas's appetite, and, by hihtful attitude, with the plate which the poor fellow had assiduously filled with the choicest s looked into the room

'Come back?' asked Newman

'Yes,' replied Nicholas, 'tired to death: and, what is worse, ood I have done'

'Couldn't expect to do ,' said Newuine, and did expect,' said Nicholas, 'and aave News

'If I could do anything,' said Nicholas, 'anything, however slight, until Ralph Nickleby returns, and I have easedhirace to work, Heaven knows Lying indolently here, like a half-tamed sullen beast, distracts s offer-they would pay the rent, and more-but you wouldn't like theo it-no, no'

'What could I hardly be expected to undergo?' asked Nicholas, raising his eyes 'Show me, in this aste of London, any honest means by which I could even defray the weekly hire of this poor rooo! I have undergone too much, my friend, to feel pride or squeamishness now Except-' added Nicholas hastily, after a short silence, 'except such squeamishness as is common honesty, and so much pride as constitutes self-respect I see little to choose, between assistant to a brutal pedagogue, and toad-eater to a norant upstart, be he member or no member'

'I hardly knohether I should tell you what I heard this , or not,' said Newman

'Has it reference to what you said just now?' asked Nicholas

'It has'

'Then in Heaven's naood friend, tell it me,' said Nicholas 'For God's sake consider my deplorable condition; and, while I proive me, at least, a vote in my own behalf'

Moved by this entreaty, Newled sentences, the upshot of which was, that Mrs Kenwigs had exain of his acquaintance with, and the whole life, adventures, and pedigree of, Nicholas; that New, at length, hard pressed and driven into a corner, had gone so far as to adreat accomplishments, involved in some misfortunes which he was not at liberty to explain, and bearing the naratitude, or ambition, or maternal pride, or maternal love, or all four powerful s, and had finally returned to propose that Mr Johnson should instruct the four Miss Kenwigses in the French language as spoken by natives, at the weekly stipend of five shi+llings, current coin of the real per week, per each Miss Kenwigs, and one shi+lling over, until such tirammar

'Which, unless I a the proposition, 'will not be very long; for such clever children, Mr Noggs, never were born into this world, I do believe'

'There,' said Newht that perhaps you reat alacrity; 'of course I shall I accept the offer at once Tell the worthy mother so, without delay, in whenever she pleases'

News of his friend's acquiescence, and soon returning, brought back word that they would be happy to see his had, upon the instant, sent out to secure a second-hand French gra in the sixpenny box at the bookstall round the corner; and that the fahly excited at the prospect of this addition to their gentility, wished the initiatory lesson to come off immediately