Part 58 (2/2)

'Why, who the devil should there be?' retorted Ralph, testily

'I didn't know but that perhaps so up or down the stairs,' said Arthur Gride, after looking out at the door and carefully reclosing it; 'or but that youroutside Clerks and servants have a trick of listening, and I should have been very uncos,' said Ralph, sharply, 'and go on hat you have to say'

'Curse Mr Noggs, by all means,' rejoined old Arthur; 'I am sure I have not the least objection to that Her name is-'

'Well,' said Ralph, rendered very irritable by old Arthur's pausing again 'what is it?'

'Madeline Bray'

Whatever reasons there ht have been-and Arthur Gride appeared to have anticipated so an effect upon Ralph, or whatever effect it really did produce upon him, he permitted none to manifest itself, but cal when and where he had heard it before

'Bray,' said Ralph 'Bray-there was young Bray of-no, he never had a daughter'

'You remember Bray?' rejoined Arthur Gride

'No,' said Ralph, looking vacantly at hi man, who used his handsome wife so ill?'

'If you seek to recall any particular dashi+ng man to ing his shoulders, 'I shall confound hi men I have ever known'

'Tut, tut That Bray who is now in the Rules of the Bench,' said old Arthur 'You can't have forgotten Bray Both of us did business with him Why, he owes you money!'

'Oh HIM!' rejoined Ralph 'Ay, ay Now you speak Oh! It's HIS daughter, is it?'

Naturally as this was said, it was not said so naturally but that a kindred spirit like old Arthur Gride n upon the part of Ralph to lead him on to much more explicit statements and explanations than he would have volunteered, or that Ralph could in all likelihood have obtained by any other ns, that he suffered hiood friend was in earnest

'I knew you couldn't forget him, when you caht,' answered Ralph 'But old Arthur Gride and matrimony is a most anomalous conjunction of words; old Arthur Gride and dark eyes and eyelashes, and lips that to look at is to long to kiss, and clustering hair that he wants to play with, and waists that he wants to span, and little feet that don't tread upon anything-old Arthur Gride and such things as these is hter of a ruined ”dashi+ng man” in the Rules of the Bench, is the most monstrous and incredible of all Plainly, friend Arthur Gride, if you want any help from me in this business (which of course you do, or you would not be here), speak out, and to the purpose And, above all, don't talk to e, for I know it ood round tune too, or you would have no finger in such a pie as this'

There was enough acerbity and sarcasm not only in the matter of Ralph's speech, but in the tone of voice in which he uttered it, and the looks hich he eked it out, to have fired even the ancient usurer's cold blood and flushed even his withered cheek But he gave vent to no de as before, 'What ahis head from side to side, as if in unrestrained enjoy, however, from the expression in Ralph's features, that he had best coht be, he composed himself for more serious business, and entered upon the pith and otiation

First, he dwelt upon the fact that Madeline Bray was devoted to the support and maintenance, and was a slave to every wish, of her only parent, who had no other friend on earth; to which Ralph rejoined that he had heard so of the kind before, and that if she had known a little more of the world, she wouldn't have been such a fool

Secondly, he enlarged upon the character of her father, arguing, that even taking it for granted that he loved her in return with the utmost affection of which he was capable, yet he loved hireat deal better; which Ralph said it was quite unnecessary to say anything h

And, thirdly, old Arthur preirl was a delicate and beautiful creature, and that he had really a hankering to have her for his wife To this Ralph deigned no other rejoinder than a harsh slance at the shrivelled old creature before him, which were, however, sufficiently expressive

'Now,' said Gride, 'for the little plan I have inthis about; because, I haven't offered myself even to the father yet, I should have told you But that you have gathered already? Ah! oh dear, oh dear, what an edged tool you are!'

'Don't play with me then,' said Ralph impatiently 'You know the proverb'

'A reply always on the tip of his tongue!' cried old Arthur, raising his hands and eyes in ad to have such a ready wit, and sohis tone, he went on: 'I have been backwards and forwards to Bray's lodgings several times within the last six months It is just half a year since I first saw this delicate morsel, and, oh dear, what a delicate morsel it is! But that is neither here nor there I a creditor for seventeen hundred pounds!'

'You talk as if you were the only detaining creditor,' said Ralph, pulling out his pocket-book 'I am another for nine hundred and seventy-five pounds four and threepence'

'The only other, Mr Nickleby,' said old Arthur, eagerly 'The only other nobody else went to the expense of lodging a detainer, trusting to our holding hih, I warrant you We both fell into the same snare; oh dear, what a pitfall it was; it almost ruined me! And lent him our money upon bills, with only one name besides his ohich to be sure everybody supposed to be a good one, and was as negotiable as money, but which turned out you kno Just as we should have coh to ruin me, that loss did!'

'Go on with your sche the cry of our trade just now; there's nobody to hear us!'

'It's always as well to talk that way,' returned old Arthur, with a chuckle, 'whether there's anybody to hear us or not Practice makes perfect, you kno, if I offer myself to Bray as his son-in-law, upon one simple condition that the moment I am fast married he shall be quietly released, and have an allowance to live just t'other side the water like a gentle, for I have asked his doctor, and he declares that his complaint is one of the Heart and it is ies of this condition are properly stated and dwelt upon to him, do you think he could resist hter could resist HIM? Shouldn't I have her Mrs Arthur Gride-pretty Mrs Arthur Gride-a tit-bit-a dainty chick-shouldn't I have her Mrs Arthur Gride in a week, a month, a day-any ti his head deliberately, and speaking in a tone whose studied coldness presented a strange contrast to the rapturous squeak to which his friend had gradually mounted 'Go on You didn't come here to ask ing himself closer still to Ralph 'Of course I didn't, I don't pretend I did! I came to ask what you would take from me, if I prospered with the father, for this debt of yours Five shi+llings in the pound, six and-eightpence, ten shi+llings? I WOULD go as far as ten for such a friend as you, we have always been on such good terms, but you won't be so hard uponmore to be told,' said Ralph, as stony and iive me time,' returned Arthur Gride 'I want a backer in this e, and press a point, which you can do as no man can I can't do that, for I aood coave up for lost, you'll standmore,' said Ralph

'No, no, indeed,' cried Arthur Gride

'Yes, yes, indeed I tell you yes,' said Ralph

'Oh!' returned old Arthur feigning to be suddenly enlightened 'Youmore, as concerns myself and my intention Ay, surely, surely Shall I mention that?'

'I think you had better,' rejoined Ralph, drily

'I didn't like to trouble you with that, because I supposed your interest would cease with your own concern in the affair,' said Arthur Gride 'That's kind of you to ask Oh dear, how very kind of you! Why, supposing I had a knowledge of some property-some little property-very little-to which this pretty chick was entitled; which nobody does or can know of at this time, but which her husband could sweep into his pouch, if he knew as much as I do, would that account for-'

'For the whole proceeding,' rejoined Ralph, abruptly 'Now, let ht to have if I should help you to success'

'But don't be hard,' cried old Arthur, raising his hands with an i, in a tremulous voice 'Don't be too hard upon me It's a very ss, and we'll close the bargain It's ive, but you're so kind-shall we say the ten? Do now, do'

Ralph took no notice of these supplications, but sat for three or four htfully at the person froitation he broke silence, and it certainly could not be objected that he used any needless circumlocution, or failed to speak directly to the purpose

'If you irl without me,' said Ralph, 'you must pay my debt in full, because you couldn't set her father free otherwise It's plain, then, that I must have the whole amount, clear of all deduction or incu honoured with your confidence, instead of gaining by it That's the first article of the treaty For the second, I shall stipulate that foryou to this fortune, I have five hundred pounds That's very little, because you have the ripe lips, and the clustering hair, and what not, all to yourself For the third and last article, I require that you execute a bond toyourself in the paye with Madeline Bray You have told e and press a point I press this one, and will take nothing less than these terms Accept them if you like If not, et my debt'

To all entreaties, protestations, and offers of compromise between his own proposals and those which Arthur Gride had first suggested, Ralph was deaf as an adder He would enter into no further discussion of the subject, and while old Arthur dilated upon the enormity of his derees nearer and nearer to the ter with an air of quiet abstraction over the entries and papers in his pocket-book Finding that it was impossible to make any impression upon his staunch friend, Arthur Gride, who had prepared himself for some such result before he came, consented with a heavy heart to the proposed treaty, and upon the spot filled up the bond required (Ralph kept such instru the condition that Mr Nickleby should accootiation at once, should circuns

In pursuance of this last understanding the worthy gentles eed, bottle in hand, from the cupboard, out of the upper door of which, at the imminent risk of detection, he had more than once thrust his red nose when such parts of the subject were under discussion as interested him most