Part 27 (1/2)

The lady sighed

'Your soul is too large for your body,' said Mr Wititterly 'Your intellect wears you out; all the medical men say so; you know that there is not a physician who is not proud of being called in to you What is their unanimous declaration? ”My dear doctor,” said I to Sir Tumley Snuffim, in this very room, the very last time he came ”My dear doctor, what is my wife's complaint? Tell me all I can bear it Is it nerves?” ”My dear fellow,” he said, ”be proud of that woman; make much of her; she is an ornament to the fashi+onable world, and to you Her complaint is soul It swells, expands, dilates-the blood fires, the pulse quickens, the excitement increases-Whew!”' Here Mr Wititterly, who, in the ardour of his description, had flourished his right hand to within so less than an inch of Mrs Nickleby's bonnet, drew it hastily back again, and blew his nose as fiercely as if it had been done by some violent machinery

'You make me out worse than I am, Henry,' said Mrs Wititterly, with a faint smile

'I do not, Julia, I do not,' said Mr W 'The society in which you move-necessarily move, from your station, connection, and endowhtful exciteht you danced with the baronet's nephew at the election ball, at Exeter! It was tremendous'

'I always suffer for these triumphs afterwards,' said Mrs Wititterly

'And for that very reason,' rejoined her husband, 'you reat sweetness, excessive sympathy, and perfect repose'

Here, both Mr and Mrs Wititterly, who had talked rather at the Nicklebys than to each other, left off speaking, and looked at their two hearers, with an expression of countenance which seemed to say, 'What do you think of all this?'

'Mrs Wititterly,' said her husband, addressing hilittering crowds and brilliant circles She is excited by the opera, the drama, the fine arts, the-the-the-'

'The nobility, my love,' interposed Mrs Wititterly

'The nobility, of course,' said Mr Wititterly 'And the military She forms and expresses an immense variety of opinions on an immense variety of subjects If some people in public life were acquainted with Mrs Wititterly's real opinion of theh as they do'

'Hush, Henry,' said the lady; 'this is scarcely fair'

'I mention no names, Julia,' replied Mr Wititterly; 'and nobody is injured I merely mention the circumstance to show that you are no ordinary person, that there is a constant friction perpetually going on between your mind and your body; and that you must be soothed and tended Now letlady's qualifications for the office'

In obedience to this request, the qualifications were all gone through again, with the addition of s froed that inquiries should be made, and a decisive answer addressed to Miss Nickleby under cover of her uncle, within two days These conditions agreed upon, the page showed the footuard at that point, piloted them in perfect safety to the street-door

'They are very distinguished people, evidently,' said Mrs Nickleby, as she took her daughter's arm 'What a superior person Mrs Wititterly is!'

'Do you think so,so, Kate, h, and looksherself out, but I am very hted lady into a calculation of the probable duration of Mrs Wititterly's life, and the chances of the disconsolate er bestowing his hand on her daughter Before reaching home, she had freed Mrs Wititterly's soul froreat splendour at St George's, Hanover Square; and only left undecided the any bedstead should be erected for herself in the two-pair back of the house in Cadogan Place, or in the three-pair front: bethich apartes, and therefore adjusted the question at last, by deter to leave it to the decision of her son-in-law

The inquiries were reat joy-was favourable; and at the expiration of a week she betook herself, with all her movables and valuables, to Mrs Wititterly's mansion, where for the present ill leave her

CHAPTER 22

Nicholas, accompanied by Smike, sallies forth to seek his Fortune He encounters Mr Vincent Crummles; and who he was, is herein made manifest The whole capital which Nicholas found himself entitled to, either in possession, reversion, re with the broker from whom he had hired his poor furniture, did not exceed, by s And yet he hailed the ht heart, and sprang from his bed with an elasticity of spirit which is happily the lot of young persons, or the world would never be stocked with old ones

It was a cold, dry, foggy re shadows flitted to and fro in the h the dull vapour, the heavy outline of so slowly nearer, rolled jangling by, scattering the thin crust of frost froain in the cloud At intervals were heard the tread of slipshod feet, and the chilly cry of the poor sweep as he crept, shi+vering, to his early toil; the heavy footfall of the official watcher of the night, pacing slowly up and down and cursing the tardy hours that still intervened between hions; the roll of the lighter vehicles which carried buyers and sellers to the differentat the doors of heavy sleepers-all these noises fell upon the ear fro, and to be rendered alht The sluggish darkness thickened as the day calooain, and coiled themselves up to sleep

Before even these indications of approachingwere rife in busy London, Nicholas had made his way alone to the city, and stood beneath the s of his ht and life for him; for there was at least one heart within its old walls to which insult or dishonour would bring the sa, that flowed in his own veins

He crossed the road, and raised his eyes to theof the room where he knew his sister slept It was closed and dark 'Poor girl,' thought Nicholas, 'she little thinks who lingers here!'

He looked again, and felt, for the e one word at parting 'Good God!' he thought, suddenly correcting himself, 'what a boy I am!'

'It is better as it is,' said Nicholas, after he had lounged on, a few paces, and returned to the saoodbye a thousand ti, and why not now?' As he spoke, some fancied motion of the curtain almost persuaded him, for the instant, that Kate was at the , and by one of those strange contradictions of feeling which are common to us all, he shrunk involuntarily into a doorway, that she ht not see him He smiled at his oeakness; said 'God bless thehter step

Sings, and so was Newman, who had expended a day's income in a can of rum and gage, Ss in co as far as he could with theht

'Which way?' asked Newston first,' replied Nicholas

'And where afterwards?' asked Newman 'Why won't you tell ood friend,' rejoined Nicholas, laying his hand upon his shoulder; 'and if I did, I have neither plan nor prospect yet, and ht shi+ft my quarters a hundred times before you could possibly communicate with me'

'I am afraid you have some deep scheme in your head,' said New friend, 'that even I can't fathom it Whatever I resolve upon, depend upon it I rite you soon'

'You won't forget?' said Newman

'I am not very likely to,' rejoined Nicholas 'I have not sothe nuet my best one'

Occupied in such discourse, they walked on for a couple of hours, as they ht have done for a couple of days if Nicholas had not sat himself down on a stone by the wayside, and resolutely declared his intention of notpleaded ineffectually first for another half-mile, and afterwards for another quarter, Neas fain to comply, and to shape his course towards Golden Square, after interchangingback to wave his hat to the tayfarers when they had become mere specks in the distance

'Now listen to ed with stout hearts onwards 'We are bound for Portsmouth'

Smike nodded his head and smiled, but expressed no other emotion; for whether they had been bound for Portsmouth or Port Royal would have been alike to hiether

'I don't know much of these matters,' resumed Nicholas; 'but Portsmouth is a seaport town, and if no other eet on board so and active, and could be useful in many ways So could you'

'I hope so,' replied Smike 'When I was at that-you knohere I mean?'

'Yes, I know,' said Nicholas 'You needn't name the place'

'Well, when I was there,' resu his abilities; 'I could rooravely 'I am afraid they don't keep many animals of either kind on board shi+p, Smike, and even when they have horses, that they are not very particular about rubbing the else, you know Where there's a will, there's a way'

'And I aain

'God knows you are,' rejoined Nicholas; 'and if you fail, it shall go hard but I'll do enough for us both'

'Do we go all the way today?' asked Smike, after a short silence