Part 53 (1/2)

'You see, Mr Nickleby,' said his wife, 'that it was in consequence of her being here, that John wrote to you and fixed tonight, because we thought that it wouldn't be pleasant for you to meet, after what has passed'

'Unquestionably You were quite right in that,' said Nicholas, interrupting

'Especially,' observed Mrs Browdie, looking very sly, 'after e know about past and gone lovehis head 'You behaved rather wickedly there, I suspect'

'O' course she did,' said John Browdie, passing his huge forefinger through one of his wife's pretty ringlets, and looking very proud of her 'She wur always as skittish and full o' tricks as a-'

'Well, as a what?' said his wife

'As a woht else that coo about Miss Squeers,' said Nicholas, with the view of stopping soun to pass between Mr and Mrs Browdie, and which rendered the position of a third party in so him to feel rather in the way than otherwise

'Oh yes,' rejoined Mrs Browdie 'John ha' done John fixed tonight, because she had settled that she would go and drink tea with her father And toao out there and fetch her hoeh I am sorry to be the occasion of so much trouble'

'Not the least in the world,' returned Mrs Browdie; 'for we have looked forward to see you-John and I have-with the greatest possible pleasure Do you know, Mr Nickleby,' said Mrs Browdie, with her archest smile, 'that I really think fanny Squeers was very fond of you?'

'I aed to her,' said Nicholas; 'but uponany iin heart'

'How you talk!' tittered Mrs Browdie 'No, but do you know that really-seriously now and without any joking-I was given to understand by fanny herself, that you had ed quite soleular'

'Was you, iven to understand that I-I-was going to be engaged to an assassinating thief that shed the gore of my pa? Do you-do you think, ma'am-that I was very fond of such dirt beneath s, without blacking and crocking rading 'Tilda!'

With these reproaches Miss Squeers flung the door wide open, and disclosed to the eyes of the astonished Browdies and Nicholas, not only her own syarments before described (a little dirtier), but the form of her brother and father, the pair of Wackfords

'This is the hend, is it?' continued Miss Squeers, who, being excited, aspirated her h's strongly; 'this is the hend, is it, of all -that viper, that-that- tiht it out triumphantly at last, as if it quite clinched the business) 'This is the hend, is it, of allwith her deceitfulness, her lowness, her falseness, her laying herself out to catch the adar minds, in a hich ested Mr Squeers, regarding the spectators with a malevolent eye-literally A malevolent eye

'Yes,' said Miss Squeers; 'but I thank my stars that my ma is of the same-'

'Hear, hear!' remarked Mr Squeers; 'and I wish she was here to have a scratch at this company'

'This is the hend, is it,' said Miss Squeers, tossing her head, and looking conte notice of that rubbishi+ng creature, and de myself to patronise her?'

'Oh, co all the endeavours of her spouse to restrain her, and forcing herself into a front row, 'don't talk such nonsense as that'

'Have I not patronised you, ma'am?' demanded Miss Squeers

'No,' returned Mrs Browdie

'I will not look for blushes in such a quarter,' said Miss Squeers, haughtily, 'for that countenance is a stranger to everything but hignominiousness and red-faced boldness'

'I say,' interposed John Browdie, nettled by these accumulated attacks on his wife, 'dra' it mild, dra' ithi for you, sir, but one of unliquidated pity'

'Oh!' said John

'No,' said Miss Squeers, looking sideways at her parent, 'although I AM a queer bridesh my husband WILL be in luck, I entertain no sentiments towards you, sir, but sentiments of pity'

Here Miss Squeers looked sideways at her father again, who looked sideways at her, as much as to say, 'There you had hih,' said Miss Squeers, shaking her curls violently 'I knohat life is before you, and if you wasworse'

'Couldn't you wish to be married to him yourself, if that was the case?' inquired Mrs Browdie, with great suavity of manner

'Oh, ma'am, hoitty you are,' retorted Miss Squeers with a low curtsy, 'almost as witty, ma'am, as you are clever How very clever it was in you, one to tea withfetched! What a pity you never thought that other people ht be as clever as yourself and spoil your plans!'

'You won't vex me, child, with such airs as these,' said the late Miss Price, assu the matron

'Don't MISSIS me, ma'am, if you please,' returned Miss Squeers, sharply 'I'll not bear it Is THIS the hend-'

'Dang it a',' cried John Browdie, impatiently 'Say thee say out, fanny, and mak' sure it's the end, and dinnot ask nobody whether it is or not'

'Thanking you for your advice which was not required, Mr Browdie,' returned Miss Squeers, with laborious politeness, 'have the goodness not to presume to meddle with et what's due to myself, Mr Browdie 'Tilda,' said Miss Squeers, with such a sudden accession of violence that John started in his boots, 'I throw you off for ever, miss I abandon you I renounce you I wouldn't,' cried Miss Squeers in a solemn voice, 'have a child narave'

'As for the matther o' that,' observed John, 'it'll be ti of it when it cooms'

'John!' interposed his wife, 'don't tease her'

'Oh! Tease, indeed!' cried Miss Squeers, bridling up 'Tease, indeed! He, he! Tease, too! No, don't tease her Consider her feelings, pray!'

'If it's fated that listeners are never to hear any good of themselves,' said Mrs Browdie, 'I can't help it, and I am very sorry for it But I will say, fanny, that times out of number I have spoken so kindly of you behind your back, that even you could have found no fault hat I said'

'Oh, I dare say not, ma'am!' cried Miss Squeers, with another curtsy 'Best thanks to you for your goodness, and begging and praying you not to be hard upon me another time!'

'I don't know,' resu very bad of you, even now At all events, what I did say was quite true; but if I have, I a your pardon You have said much worse of me, scores of times, fanny; but I have never borne any malice to you, and I hope you'll not bear any to me'

Miss Squeersher for her nose in the air with ineffable disdain But some indistinct allusions to a 'puss,' and a 'minx,' and a 'conteether with a severe biting of the lips, great difficulty in sing, and very frequent cos were swelling in Miss Squeers's boso conversation was proceeding, Master Wackford, finding hi inclinations strong upon him, had by little and little sidled up to the table and attacked the food with such slight skirers round and round the inside of the plates, and afterwards sucking the the pieces over the surface of the butter; pocketing luht; and so forth Finding that no interference was attereater, and, after helping hiood cold collation, was, by this ti of this had been unobserved by Mr Squeers, who, so long as the attention of the coed hi at the ene now an appearance of a tes of little Wackford could scarcely fail to be observed, he feigned to be aware of the circumstance for the first tientle!' cried Mr Squeers, 'of what his father's eneo and poison you, you unnat'ral boy'

'It wean't hurt him,' said John, apparently verya man in the quarrel; 'let' un eat I wish the whole school was here I'd give'em soom'at to stay their unfort'nate stomachs wi', if I spent the last penny I had!'

Squeers scowled at him with the worst and most malicious expression of which his face was capable-it was a face of remarkable capability, too, in that way-and shook his fist stealthily