Part 23 (1/2)

'Here she is,' continued Miss Knag, getting off the box, and introducing Kate with ; 'here she is-everybody is talking about her-the belle, ladies-the beauty, the-oh, you bold-faced thing!'

At this crisis, Miss Knag was unable to repress a virtuous shudder, which i ladies; after which, Miss Knag laughed, and after that, cried

'For fifteen years,' exclai manner, 'for fifteen years have I been the credit and ornament of this roo first her right foot and then her left with rey, 'I have never in all that time, till now, been exposed to the arts, the vile arts, of a creature, who disgraces us with all her proceedings, and makes proper people blush for theusted'

Miss Knag here relapsed into softness, and the young ladies renewing their attentions, s, and that for their part they despised them, and considered them beneath their notice; in witness whereof, they called out, more emphatically than before, that it was a shary, they did, they hardly knehat to do with theht!' cried Miss Knag, suddenly beco an effort to tear her front off

'Oh no, no,' replied the chorus, 'pray don't say so; don't now!'

'Have I deserved to be called an elderly person?' screa with the supernus, dear,' answered the chorus

'I hate her,' cried Miss Knag; 'I detest and hate her Never let her speak to ain; never let anybody who is a friend of mine speak to her; a slut, a hussy, an i denounced the object of her wrath, in these terled in her throat several times, slumbered, shi+vered, woke, came to, coain

Poor Kate had regarded these proceedings, at first, in perfect bewilderment She had then turned red and pale by turns, and once or twice essayed to speak; but, as the true motives of this altered behaviour developed themselves, she retired a few paces, and looked calh she walked proudly to her seat, and turned her back upon the group of little satellites who clustered round their ruling planet in the reave way, in secret, to so's inmost soul, if she could have seen them fall

CHAPTER 19

Descriptive of a Dinner at Mr Ralph Nickleby's, and of the Manner in which the Company entertained themselves, before Dinner, at Dinner, and after Dinner

The bile and rancour of the worthy Miss Knag undergoing no di with every successive hour; and the honest ire of all the young ladies rising, or seenation, and both waxing very hot every tiined that that young lady's daily life was none of the most cheerful or enviable kind She hailed the arrival of Saturday night, as a prisoner would a few delicious hours' respite fro torture, and felt that the poor pittance for her first week's labour would have been dearly and hardly earned, had its amount been trebled

When she joined her mother, as usual, at the street corner, she was not a little surprised to find her in conversation with Mr Ralph Nickleby; but her surprise was soon redoubled, no less by the matter of their conversation, than by the smoothed and altered manner of Mr Nickleby himself

'Ah!about you'

'Indeed!' replied Kate, shrinking, though she scarce knehy, fro eye

'That instant,' said Ralph 'I was co sure to catch you before you left; but yourover family affairs, and the time has slipped away so rapidly-'

'Well, now, hasn't it?' interposed Mrs Nickleby, quite insensible to the sarcastic tone of Ralph's last remark 'Upon my word, I couldn't have believed it possible, that such a-Kate, my dear, you're to dine with your uncle at half-past six o'clock to been the first to coence, Mrs Nickleby nodded and snificence on Kate's wondering le, to a coood lady 'Your black silk frock will be quite dress enough, my dear, with that pretty little scarf, and a plain band in your hair, and a pair of black silk stock-Dear, dear,' cried Mrs Nickleby, flying off at another angle, 'if I had but those unfortunate amethysts of mine-you recollect them, Kate, my love-how they used to sparkle, you know-but your papa, your poor dear papa-ah! there never was anything so cruelly sacrificed as those jeere, never!' Overpowered by this agonising thought, Mrs Nickleby shook her head, in a melancholy manner, and applied her handkerchief to her eyes

I don't want theet that you ever had them'

'Lord, Kate, my dear,' rejoined Mrs Nickleby, pettishly, 'how like a child you talk! Four-and-twenty silver tea-spoons, brother-in-lao gravies, four salts, all the as-all , alood soul, ”Why don't you do soement?” I am sure that anybody as about us at that time, will do me the justice to own, that if I said that once, I said it fifty times a day Didn't I, Kate,it on your poor papa?'

'No, no, mama, never,' replied Kate And to do Mrs Nickleby justice, she never had lost-and to do married ladies as a body justice, they seldoolden percepts, whose only bleueness and uncertainty in which they are usually enveloped

'Ah!' said Mrs Nickleby, with great fervour, 'if -Well, I have always done MY duty, and that's some comfort'

When she had arrived at this reflection, Mrs Nickleby sighed, rubbed her hands, cast up her eyes, and finally assu that she was a persecuted saint, but that she wouldn't trouble her hearers bya circumstance which must be so obvious to everybody

'Now,' said Ralph, with a smile, which, in common with all other tokens of emotion, seemed to skulk under his face, rather than play boldly over it-'to return to the point froentlemen hom I am connected in business just now, at my house tomorrow; and your mother has promised that you shall keep house for me I am not much used to parties; but this is one of business, and such fooleries are an i me?'

'Mind!' cried Mrs Nickleby 'My dear Kate, why-'

'Pray,' interrupted Ralph,her to be silent 'I spoke to lad, of course, uncle,' replied Kate; 'but I am afraid you will find me aard and embarrassed'

'Oh no,' said Ralph; 'coht-a-a-God bless you'

The blessing seemed to stick in Mr Ralph Nickleby's throat, as if it were not used to the thoroughfare, and didn't know the way out But it got out so disposed of it, he shook hands with his two relatives, and abruptly left thely marked countenance your uncle has!' said Mrs Nickleby, quite struck with his parting look 'I don't see the slightest resemblance to his poor brother'

'Ma!'

'No,' said Mrs Nickleby,'There certainly is none But it's a very honest face'

The worthy reat emphasis and elocution, as if it coenuity and research; and, in truth, it was not unworthy of being classed ae Kate looked up hastily, and as hastily looked down again

'What has cooodness?' asked Mrs Nickleby, when they had walked on, for so, !' repeated Mrs Nickleby 'Ay, and indeed plenty to think about, too Your uncle has taken a strong fancy to you, that's quite clear; and if soood fortune doesn't come to you, after this, I shall be a little surprised, that's all'

With this she launched out into sundry anecdotes of young ladies, who had had thousand-pound notes given the ladies who had accidentally entlemen of enormous wealth at their uncles' houses, and married the first in apathy, and afterwards in a of herin her own boso, and that better days ift to struggling , like soood and bad; as universal as death, and more infectious than disease!

The feeble winter's sun-and winter's suns in the city are very feeble indeed-h the di the unusual sight which one half-furnished rooloomy corner, where, for years, had stood a silent dusty pile of , a dull and lifelessto the roll of heavy waggons in the street without, it quaked with sturdy trerow brighter still with fear, and struck the heart, until the alared, with scrupulous care, all Kate's little finery for the day; each article of dress partaking of that indescribable air of jauntiness and individuality which earments-whether by association, or that they become moulded, as it were, to the owner's for, the wearer's soods, there lay the black silk dress: the neatest possible figure in itself The small shoes, with toes delicately turned out, stood upon the very pressure of soht; and a pile of harsh discoloured leather had unconsciously given place to the very sas, which had been the objects of Mrs Nickleby's peculiar care Rats and o been starved, or had eloves, bands, scarfs, hair-pins, and enious in their way as rats and mice the them all, moved Kate herself, not the least beautiful or unwonted relief to the stern, old, glooood time, or in bad time, as the reader likes to take it-for Mrs Nickleby's ireat deal faster than the clocks at that end of the town, and Kate was dressed to the very last hair-pin a full hour and a half before it was at all necessary to begin to think about it-in good ti at length the hour agreed upon for starting, the milkman fetched a coach from the nearest stand, and Kate, with es to Miss La Creevy, as to come to tea, seated herself in it, and went away in state, if ever anybody went away in state in a hackney coach yet And the coach, and the coachled, and whipped, and cursed, and swore, and tuether, until they caave a tre before he had done, as quickly as if there had been a man behind it, with his hand tied to the latch Kate, who had expected no s in a clean shi+rt, was not a little astonished to see that the opener was a man in handsome livery, and that there were two or three others in the hall There was no doubt about its being the right house, however, for there was the name upon the door; so she accepted the laced coat-sleeve which was tendered her, and entering the house, was ushered upstairs, into a back drawing-room, where she was left alone

If she had been surprised at the apparition of the footman, she was perfectly absorbed in amazement at the richness and splendour of the furniture The softest and ant carpets, the most exquisite pictures, the costliestfroality hich they were scattered around; encountered her on every side The very staircase nearly down to the hall-door, was crah the house were bri addition, would fairly run over into the street

Presently, she heard a series of loud double knocks at the street-door, and after every knock some new voice in the next roouishable at first, but by degrees they eneral buzz of conversation, and all she could ascertain was, that there were several gentlehed very heartily, and swore ht quite necessary But this was a question of taste

At length, the door opened, and Ralph himself, divested of his boots, and ceremoniously embellished with black silks and shoes, presented his crafty face

'I couldn't see you before, , as he spoke, to the next roo them Now-shall I take you in?'

'Pray, uncle,' said Kate, a little flurried, as people much more conversant with society often are, when they are about to enter a rooers, and have had time to think of it previously, 'are there any ladies here?'

'No,' said Ralph, shortly, 'I don't know any'

'Must I go in i back a little

'As you please,' said Ralph, shrugging his shoulders 'They are all come, and dinner will be announced directly afterwards-that's all'

Kate would have entreated a few ht consider the payain for her punctuality, she suffered hih his, and to lead her away