Part 22 (1/2)

In fact, Miss Knag had conceived an incipient affection for Kate Nickleby, after witnessing her failure that , and this short conversation with her superior increased the favourable prepossession to aextent; which was thelady's face and figure, she had entertained certain inward ree

'But now,' said Miss Knag, glancing at the reflection of herself in a reat distance, 'I love her-I quite love her-I declare I do!'

Of such a highly disinterested quality was this devoted friendshi+p, and so superior was it to the little weaknesses of flattery or ill-nature, that the kind-hearted Miss Knag candidly informed Kate Nickleby, next day, that she saw she would never do for the business, but that she need not give herself the slightest uneasiness on this account, for that she (Miss Knag), by increased exertions on her own part, would keep her as round, and that all she would have to do, would be to remain perfectly quiet before co notice by every estion was so s and wishes, that she readily promised implicit reliance on the excellent spinster's advice: without questioning, or indeed bestowing a moment's reflection upon, the motives that dictated it

'I take quite a lively interest in you, ; 'a sister's interest, actually It's the ular circuular, that if Miss Knag did feel a strong interest in Kate Nickleby, it should not rather have been the interest of athe conclusion to which the difference in their respective ages would have naturally tended But Miss Knag wore clothes of a very youthful pattern, and perhaps her feelings took the sa a kiss upon Kate at the conclusion of the second day's work, 'how very aard you have been all day'

'I fear your kind and open communication, which has rendered me more painfully conscious of hed Kate

'No, no, I dare say not,' rejoined Miss Knag, in a ood humour 'But how much better that you should know it at first, and so be able to go on, straight and co, my love?'

'Towards the city,' replied Kate

'The city!' cried Miss Knag, regarding herself with great favour in the glass as she tied her bonnet 'Goodness gracious me! now do you really live in the city?'

'Is it so very unusual for anybody to live there?' asked Kate, half s

'I couldn't have believed it possible that any young woman could have lived there, under any circu

'Reduced-I should say poor people,' answered Kate, correcting herself hastily, for she was afraid of appearing proud, 'must live where they can'

'Ah! very true, so theywith that sort of half-sigh, which, accoht nods of the head, is pity's seneral society; 'and that's what I very often tell o away ill, one after another, and he thinks the back-kitchen's rather too damp for 'elad to sleep anywhere! Heaven suits the back to the burden What a nice thing it is to think that it should be so, isn't it?'

'Very,' replied Kate

'I'll ith you part of the way, o very near our house; and as it's quite dark, and our last servant went to the hospital a week ago, with St Anthony's fire in her face, I shall be glad of your coly have excused herself fro adjusted her bonnet to her entire satisfaction, took her arm with an air which plainly showed how , and they were in the street before she could say another word

'I fear,' said Kate, hesitating, 'thatfor y,sweetly as she spoke; 'I dare say she is a very respectable old person, and I shall be quite-hem-quite pleased to know her'

As poor Mrs Nickleby was cooling-not her heels alone, but her lienerally at the street corner, Kate had no alternative but to e custoed the introduction with condescending politeness The three then walked away, ar in the middle, in a special state of ahter, Mrs Nickleby, you can't think,' said Miss Knag, after she had proceeded a little distance in dignified silence

'I ah it is nothing new to ers should like Kate'

'He

'You will like her better when you kno good she is,' said Mrs Nickleby 'It is a great blessing to me, in my misfortunes, to have a child, who knows neither pride nor vanity, and whose bringing-up ht very well have excused a little of both at first You don't knohat it is to lose a husband, Miss Knag'

As Miss Knag had never yet knohat it was to gain one, it followed, very nearly as a matter of course, that she didn't knohat it was to lose one; so she said, in some haste, 'No, indeed I don't,' and said it with an air intending to signify that she should like to catch herselfanybody-no, no, she knew better than that

'Kate has improved even in this little ti proudly at her daughter

'Oh! of course,' said Miss Knag

'And will improve still more,' added Mrs Nickleby

'That she will, I'll be bound,' replied Miss Knag, squeezing Kate's arm in her own, to point the joke

'She alas clever,' said poor Mrs Nickleby, brightening up, 'always, from a baby I recollect when she was only two years and a half old, that a gentleman who used to visit very much at our house-Mr Watkins, you know, Kate, my dear, that your poor papa went bail for, who afterwards ran away to the United States, and sent us a pair of snow shoes, with such an affectionate letter that it made your poor dear father cry for a week You remember the letter? In which he said that he was very sorry he couldn't repay the fifty pounds just then, because his capital was all out at interest, and he was very busy et you were his God-daughter, and he should take it very unkind if we didn't buy you a silver coral and put it down to his old account? Dear me, yes, my dear, how stupid you are! and spoke so affectionately of the old port wine that he used to drink a bottle and a half of every time he came You must remember, Kate?'

'Yes, yes, mama; what of him?'

'Why, that Mr Watkins,a tre of paramount i will understand, to the Watkins who kept the Old Boar in the village; by-the-bye, I don't ree the Third, but it was one of the two, I know, and it's much the same-that Mr Watkins said, when you were only two years and a half old, that you were one of thechildren he ever saw He did indeed, Miss Knag, and he wasn't at all fond of children, and couldn't have had the slightestit I knoas he who said so, because I recollect, as well as if it was only yesterday, his borrowing twenty pounds of her poor dear papa the veryquoted this extraordinary and hter's excellence, Mrs Nickleby stopped to breathe; and Miss Knag, finding that the discourse was turning upon fa in, with a small re , 'or you'll drive me crazy, perfectly crazy My mama-hem-was theand exquisite-hem-the most exquisite nose that ever was put upon a hu rubbed her own nose syhtful and accomplished wo of lending money, and carried it to such an extent that she lent-hem-oh! thousands of pounds, all our little fortunes, and what's more, Mrs Nickleby, I don't think, if ere to live till-till-heet the this effort of invention without being interrupted, Miss Knag fell intothan true, the full tide of which, Mrs Nickleby in vain atte an under-current of her own recollections; and so both ladies went on talking together in perfect content, that whereas Miss Knag addressed herself to Kate, and talked very loud, Mrs Nickleby kept on in one unbrokenvery little whether anybody listened or not

In this manner they walked on, very a's brother's, as an orna library keeper, in a by-street off Tottenham Court Road; and who let out by the day, week, month, or year, the newest old novels, whereof the titles were displayed in pen-and-ink characters on a sheet of pasteboard, swinging at his door-post As Miss Knag happened, at the moment, to be in the entle in to supper together; and in they went

'Don't go away, Morti as they entered the shop 'It's only one of our young ladies and her mother Mrs and Miss Nickleby'

'Oh, indeed!' said Mr Mortiiven utterance to these ejaculations with a very profound and thoughtful air, Mr Knag slowly snuffed two kitchen candles on the counter, and two more in the , and then snuffed himself fro very ihostly air hich all this was done; and as Mr Knag was a tall lank gentlearnished withon forty, or thereabouts, usually boasts, Mrs Nickleby whispered her daughter that she thought hehis watch 'Thomas, close the warehouse'

Thomas was a boy nearly half as tall as a shutter, and the warehouse was a shop about the size of three hackney coaches

'Ah!' said Mr Knag once h as he restored to its parent shelf the book he had been reading 'Well-yes-I believe supper is ready, sister'

With another sigh Mr Knag took up the kitchen candles from the counter, and preceded the ladies with mournful steps to a back-parlour, where a charwoman, employed in the absence of the sick servant, and rehteenpences to be deducted fro the supper out

'Mrs Blockson,' said Miss Knag, reproachfully, 'how very often I have begged you not to come into the roo,' said the charwo up on the shortest notice 'There's been a deal o'cleaning to do in this house, and if you don't like it, I must trouble you to look out for somebody else, for it don't hardly paythis minute'

'I don't want any re emphasis on the personal pronoun 'Is there any fire downstairs for some hot water presently?'