Part 46 (1/2)

'Very reat-uncle, Lillyvick,it to the children

'His kindest love,' resumed Nicholas; 'and to say that he had no time to write, but that he was s started frohter by her flaxen tail, and covered his face with his pocket-handkerchief Morleena fell, all stiff and rigid, into the baby's chair, as she had seen herlittle Kenwigses shrieked in affright

'My children,so hard, in his vehehter, that he lifted her up on tiptoe, and kept her, for some seconds, in that attitude 'Villain, ass, traitor!'

'Drat the rily around 'What does hethat noise here?'

'Silence, wos, fiercely

'I won't be silent,' returned the nurse 'Be silent yourself, you wretch Have you no regard for your baby?'

'No!' returned Mr Kenwigs

'More shah! you unnatural s, in the torrent of his wrath 'Let him die! He has no expectations, no property to cos recklessly 'Take 'e!'

With these awful res sat himself down in a chair, and defied the nurse, whoroo that Mr Kenwigs had spoken blasphe s's favour, for the exertion of speaking with so much vehemence, and yet in such a tone as should prevent his las, had made him very black in the face; besides which, the exciteence in various strong cordials to celebrate it, had swollen and dilated his features to a most unusual extent But, Nicholas and the doctor-who had been passive at first, doubting veryto explain the ination of the ed to pity, and they io quietly to bed

'The attention,' said Mr Kenwigs, looking around with a plaintive air, 'the attention that I've shown to that man! The hyseters he has eat, and the pints of ale he has drank, in this house-!'

'It's very trying, and very hard to bear, we know,' said one of thewife'

'Oh yes, and what she's been a undergoing of, only this day,' cried a great ood man, do'

'The presents that have beento his calaoloshes, that cost six-and-six-'

'Ah! it won't bear thinking of, indeed,' cried the enerally; 'but it'll all cos looked darkly upon the ladies, as if he would prefer its all coot by it; but he said nothing, and resting his head upon his hand, subsided into a kind of doze

Then, the ood gentle that he would be better tomorrow, and that they kneas the wear and tear of sos had been that day, and that it did hi to be ashamed of in it; far froood heart And one lady observed, as a case bearing upon the present, that her husband was often quite light-headed from anxiety on similar occasions, and that once, when her little Johnny was born, it was nearly a week before he ca the whole of which ti but cry 'Is it a boy, is it a boy?' in a manner which went to the hearts of all his hearers

At length, Morleena (who quite forgot she had fainted, when she found she was not noticed) announced that a chas, having partially shters in the closeness of his embrace, accepted the doctor's arm on one side, and the support of Nicholas on the other, and was conducted upstairs to a bedroo seen him sound asleep, and heard hi further presided over the distribution of the toys, to the perfect contentses, Nicholas took his leave The matrons dropped off one by one, with the exception of six or eight particular friends, who had deterradually disappeared; the last bulletin was issued that Mrs Kenas as well as could be expected; and the whole family were left to their repose

CHAPTER 37

Nicholas finds further Favour in the Eyes of the brothers Cheeryble and Mr Tireat Annual Occasion Nicholas, on returning Home from it, receives a mysterious and important Disclosure fro-house of the brothers Cheeryble was situated, although it uine expectations which a stranger would be disposed to for the fervent encomiums bestowed upon it by Tim Linkinwater, was, nevertheless, a sufficiently desirable nook in the heart of a busy town like London, and one which occupied a high place in the affectionate rehbourhood, whose recollections, however, dated from a much more recent period, and whose attach, than were the recollections and attachment of the enthusiastic Tim

And let not those whose eyes have been accustoravity of Grosvenor Square and Hanover Square, the dowager barrenness and frigidity of Fitzroy Square, or the gravel walks and garden seats of the Squares of Russell and Euston, suppose that the affections of Tim Linkinwater, or the inferior lovers of this particular locality, had been awakened and kept alive by any refreshi+ng associations with leaves, however dingy, or grass, however bare and thin The city square has no enclosure, save the larass, but the weeds which spring up round its base It is a quiet, little-frequented, retired spot, favourable to ; and up and down its every side the Appointed saunters idly by the hour together wakening the echoes with the monotonous sound of his footsteps on the s, first the s, and then the very bricks of the tall silent houses that heer there, long after it has hways The summer's sun holds it in soly into the square, keeps his fiery heat and glare for noisier and less-i precincts It is so quiet, that you can al of your oatch when you stop to cool in its refreshi+ng atmosphere There is a distant hum-of coaches, not of insects-but no other sound disturbs the stillness of the square The ticket porter leans idly against the post at the corner: co His white apron flaps languidly in the air, his head gradually droops upon his breast, he takes very long winks with both eyes at once; even he is unable to withstand the soporific influence of the place, and is gradually falling asleep But now, he starts into full wakefulness, recoils a step or two, and gazes out before hier wildness in his eye Is it a job, or a boy at ht more unwonted still-there is a butterfly in the square-a real, live butterfly! astray fro the iron heads of the dusty area railings

But if there were not many matters ie the attention or distract the thoughts of the young clerk, there were not a feithin, to interest and amuse him There was scarcely an object in the place, aniree of the scrupulous method and punctuality of Mr Ti-house dial, which he maintained to be the best time-keeper in London next after the clock of some old, hidden, unknown church hard by, (for Tioodness of that at the Horse Guards to be a pleasant fiction, invented by jealous West-enders,) the old clerk perfored the ular order, which could not have been exceeded if it had actually been a real glass case, fitted with the choicest curiosities Paper, pens, ink, ruler, sealing-afers, pounce-box, string-box, fire-box, Tiloves, Ti precisely like a back view of hiainst the wall-all had their accustomed inches of space Except the clock, there was not such an accurate and unimpeachable instru behind the door There was not a bird of such methodical and business-like habits in all the world, as the blind blackbird, who dreae, and had lost his voice, froht hie of anecdote, as Ti the acquisition of that very bird; how, co condition, he had purchased hi his wretched life; how he determined to wait three days and see whether the bird revived; how, before half the ti and picking up his appetite and good looks until he gradually beca proudly at the cage And with that, Tim would utter a melodious chirrup, and cry 'dick;' and dick, who, for any sign of life he had previously given, ht have been a wooden or stuffed representation of a blackbird indifferently executed, would coe in three s his bill between the bars, turn his sightless head towards his old master-and at that moment it would be very difficult to determine which of the tas the happier, the bird or Tiave back, besides, some reflection of the kindly spirit of the brothers The warehousemen and porters were such sturdy, jolly fellows, that it was a treat to see the announce-house wall, were designs for almshouses, statements of charities, and plans for new hospitals A blunderbuss and tords hung above the chimney-piece, for the terror of evil-doers, but the blunderbuss was rusty and shattered, and the swords were broken and edgeless Elsewhere, their open display in such a condition would have realised a sh even violent and offensive weapons partook of the reigning influence, and becahts as these occurred to Nicholas very strongly, on thewhen he first took possession of the vacant stool, and looked about him, more freely and at ease, than he had before enjoyed an opportunity of doing Perhaps they encouraged and sti the next teeks, all his spare hours, late at night and early in thetheand some other forms of mercantile account To these, he applied hih he brought no greater ae to the subject than certain di su-book at school, and relieved for parental inspection by the effigy of a fat swan tastefully flourished by the writing-ht, in a condition to report his proficiency to Mr Linkinwater, and to claim his promise that he, Nicholas Nickleby, should now be allowed to assist hiht to behold Tier and day-book, and, after turning the their backs and sides, open the leaves here and there, and cast his eyes, half mournfully, half proudly, upon the fair and unblotted entries

'Four-and-forty year, next May!' said Tiers since then Four-and-forty year!'

Tiain

'Coin'

Tim Linkinwater shook his head with an air of mild reproof Mr Nickleby was not sufficiently i Suppose there should be anymen are adventurous It is extraordinary what they will rush upon, so hi leisurely at the desk, and with a smile upon his face-actually a smile-there was no mistake about it; Mr Linkinwater often mentioned it afterwards-Nicholas dipped his pen into the inkstand before hied into the books of Cheeryble Brothers!

Ti up his stool on the two legs nearest Nicholas, looked over his shoulder in breathless anxiety Brother Charles and brother Ned entered the counting-house together; but Ti round, impatiently waved his hand as a caution that profound silence must be observed, and followed the nib of the inexperienced pen with strained and eager eyes

The brothers looked on with s faces, but Tith, he drew a long slow breath, and still lanced at brother Charles, secretly pointed with the feather of his pen towards Nicholas, and nodded his head in a grave and resolute'He'll do'

Brother Charles nodded again, and exchanged a laughing look with brother Ned; but, just then, Nicholas stopped to refer to soe, and Tier, descended froht him rapturously by the hand

'He has done it!' said Ti his head triumphantly 'His capital B's and D's are exactly like mine; he dots all his small i's and crosses every t as he writes it There an't such a youngNicholas on the back; 'not one Don't tell e the city to do it!'

With this casting down of his gauntlet, Tim Linkinwater struck the desk such a bloith his clenched fist, that the old blackbird tuave him, and actually uttered a feeble croak, in the extremity of his astonishment

'Well said, Tim-well said, Tim Linkinwater!' cried brother Charles, scarcely less pleased than Tiently as he spoke 'I knew our young friend would take great pains, and I was quite certain he would succeed, in no time Didn't I say so, brother Ned?'

'You did, my dear brother; certainly, ht,' replied Ned 'Quite right Tim Linkinwater is excited, but he is justly excited, properly excited Tim is a fine fellow Tim Linkinwater, sir-you're a fine fellow'

'Here's a pleasant thing to think of!' said Ti his spectacles fro Do you suppose I haven't often thought of ould becoone? Do you suppose I haven't often thought that things ular and untidy here, after I was taken away? But now,' said Tier towards Nicholas, 'nohen I've shown hio on, when I'm dead, as well as it did when I was alive-just the sa that there never were such books-never were such books! No, nor never will be such books-as the books of Cheeryble Brothers'

Having thus expressed his sentih, indicative of defiance to the cities of London and Westain to his desk, quietly carried seventy-six from the last column he had added up, and went on with his work

'Tiive me your hand, sir This is your birthday How dare you talk about anything else till you have been wished many happy returns of the day, Tim Linkinwater? God bless you, Tim! God bless you!'

'My dear brother,' said the other, seizing Tier than he did on his last birthday'

'Brother Ned, my dear boy,' returned the other old fellow, 'I believe that Tiradually coer every birthday than he was the year before'

'So he is, brother Charles, so he is,' replied brother Ned 'There's not a doubt about it'

'Remember, Tim,' said brother Charles, 'that we dine at half-past five today instead of two o'clock; ays depart from our usual custom on this anniversary, as you very well know, Tim Linkinwater Mr Nickleby, ive me your snuff-box as a remembrance to brother Charles and myself of an attached and faithful rascal, and take that, in exchange, as a feeble o to bed, and never say another word upon the subject, or I'll kill the blackbird A dog! He should have had a golden cage half-a-dozen years ago, if it would have made him or his master a bit the happier Now, brother Ned, my dear fellow, I'm ready At half-past five, remember, Mr Nickleby! Tim Linkinwater, sir, take care of Mr Nickleby at half-past five Now, brother Ned'