Part 58 (1/2)

He heard a light footstep above hi round saw that the young lady was standing there, and glancing timidly towards him, seemed to hesitate whether she should call hi the question was to turn back at once, which Nicholas did

'I don't knohether I do right in asking you, sir,' said Madeline, hurriedly, 'but pray, pray, do not mention to my poor mother's dear friends what has passed here today He has sufferedyou, sir, as a boon, a favour to myself'

'You have but to hint a wish,' returned Nicholas fervently, 'and I would hazard ratify it'

'You speak hastily, sir'

'Truly and sincerely,' rejoined Nicholas, his lips tre as he formed the words, 'if ever s, and if I were, I could not hide my heart from you Dear els s, I do entreat you to believe that I would die to serve you'

The young lady turned away her head, and was plainly weeping

'Forgive me,' said Nicholas, with respectful earnestness, 'if I seem to say too much, or to presume upon the confidence which has been intrusted to me But I could not leave you as if my interest and sympathy expired with the commission of the day I am your faithful servant, humbly devoted to you from this hour, devoted in strict truth and honour to hirity of heart, and distant respect for you If I ard, and false to the very nature that prompts the honest words I utter'

She waved her hand, entreating hione, but answered not a word Nicholas could say no more, and silently withdrew And thus ended his first intervieith Madeline Bray

CHAPTER 47

Mr Ralph Nickleby has some confidential Intercourse with another old Friend They concert between theo the three-quarters past!' hbouring church 'and my dinner time's two He does it on purpose He makes a point of it It's just like him'

It was in his own little den of an office and on the top of his official stool that Newman thus soliloquised; and the soliloquy referred, as New soliloquies usually did, to Ralph Nickleby

'I don't believe he ever had an appetite,' said News, and pence, and with thereedy as a wolf I should like to have hilish coin The penny would be an aardin so, perforce, a five-shi+lling piece, Newht forth from his desk one of those portable bottles, currently known as pocket-pistols, and shaking the sa sound very cool and pleasant to listen to, suffered his features to relax, and took a gurgling drink, which relaxed the the cork, he sreat relish, and, the taste of the liquor having by this tiain

'Five rowled Newman; 'it can't want ht o'clock, and SUCH a breakfast! and ht have a nice little bit of hot roastat hoo till I coo till I coo out at gravation-eh?'

These words, though uttered in a very loud key, were addressed to nothing but es, however, sees desperate; for he flattened his old hat upon his head, and drawing on the everlasting gloves, declared with great veheo to dinner that verythis resolution into instant effect, he had advanced as far as the passage, when the sound of the latch-key in the street door caused hiain

'Here he is,' growled Newentle, Newman slipped into a tall empty closet which opened with two half doors, and shut hi to slip out directly Ralph was safe inside his own roos?'

But not a word said Newh I told hi out his watch 'Humph!' You had better come in here, Gride My man's out, and the sun is hot upon hing it'

'Not at all, Mr Nickleby, oh not at all! All places are alike to me, sir Ah! very nice indeed Oh! very nice!'

The parson who made this reply was a little old e, of a very lean figure, rey coat with a very narrow collar, an old-fashi+oned waistcoat of ribbed black silk, and such scanty trousers as displayed his shrunken spindle-shanks in their full ugliness The only articles of display or ornament in his dress were a steel watch-chain to which were attached soold seals; and a black ribbon into which, in compliance with an old fashi+on scarcely ever observed in these days, his grey hair was gathered behind His nose and chin were sharp and prominent, his jaws had fallen inwards from loss of teeth, his face was shrivelled and yellow, save where the cheeks were streaked with the colour of a dry winter apple; and where his beard had been, there lingered yet a few grey tufts which seeed eyebrows, to denote the badness of the soil fro The whole air and attitude of the form was one of stealthy cat-like obsequiousness; the whole expression of the face was concentrated in a wrinkled leer, co, lecherousness, slyness, and avarice

Such was old Arthur Gride, in whose face there was not a wrinkle, in whose dress there was not one spare fold or plait, but expressed thepenury, and sufficiently indicated his belonging to that class of which Ralph Nickleby was a member Such was old Arthur Gride, as he sat in a low chair looking up into the face of Ralph Nickleby, who, lounging upon the tall office stool, with his arms upon his knees, looked down into his; a match for him on whatever errand he had coreat interest in Ralph's state of health 'I haven't seen you for-oh! not for-'

'Not for a long ti that he very well kneas not on a mere visit of compliment that his friend had come 'It was a narrow chance that you saw me now, for I had only just come up to the door as you turned the corner'

'I am very lucky,' observed Gride

'So men say,' replied Ralph, drily

The older inated no new re Each was looking out to take the other at a disadvantage

'Coth; 'what's in the wind today?'

'Aha! you're a bold man, Mr Nickleby,' cried the other, apparently verythe way to business 'Oh dear, dear, what a boldith you that makes me seem so by contrast,' returned Ralph 'I don't know but that yours may answer better, but I want the patience for it'

'You were born a genius, Mr Nickleby,' said old Arthur 'Deep, deep, deep Ah!'

'Deep enough,' retorted Ralph, 'to know that I shall need all the depth I have, when in to compliment You know I have stood by when you fawned and flattered other people, and I remember pretty hat THAT always led to'

'Ha, ha, ha!' rejoined Arthur, rubbing his hands 'So you do, so you do, no doubt Not anow to think that you remember old times Oh dear!'

'Now then,' said Ralph, coain? What is it?'

'See that now!' cried the other 'He can't even keep froones Oh dear, dear, what a ones do you want to revive?' said Ralph 'One of them, I know, or you wouldn't talk about the up his hands 'Even me! Oh dear, even me What a ainst all the world There's nobody like hiiant!'

Ralph looked at the old dog with a quiet ss in the closet felt his heart sink within hirew fainter and fainter

'I h,' cried old Arthur; 'he must have his way-a wilful man, as the Scotch say-well, well, they're a wise people, the Scotch He will talk about business, and won't give away his tiht Time is money, ti, I should think,' said Ralph 'Tiood money too, to those who reckon interest by it Time IS money! Yes, and time costs money; it's rather an expensive article to soet ain raised his hands, again chuckled, and again ejaculated 'What a ed the low chair a little nearer to Ralph's high stool, and looking upwards into his immovable face, said, 'What would you say toto becoldly down upon him, 'that for some purpose of your own you told a lie, and that it wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last; that I wasn't surprised and wasn't to be taken in'

'Then I tell you seriously that I am,' said old Arthur

'And I tell you seriously,' rejoined Ralph, 'what I told you this minute Stay Let me look at you There's a liquorish devilry in your face What is this?'

'I wouldn't deceive YOU, you knohined Arthur Gride; 'I couldn't do it, I should be ain-he, he, he!-what should you say toto be ?' said Ralph

'No, No,' cried Arthur, interrupting hiain Mr Nickleby for once at fault; out, quite out! To a young and beautiful girl; fresh, lovely, bewitching, and not nineteen Dark eyes, long eyelashes, ripe and ruddy lips that to look at is to long to kiss, beautiful clustering hair that one's fingers itch to play with, such a waist asof twining his arhtly they hardly seeround-towith a curled lip to the old sinner's raptures 'The girl's name?'

'Oh deep, deep! See no deep that is!' exclaiive it e, he sees the thing already Her na?'