Part 75 (2/2)

In fact, John Browdie's apprehensions were so strong that he determined to ride over to the school without delay, and invited Nicholas to acco that his presence ravate the bitterness of their adversity

'Thot's true!' said John; 'I should ne'er ha' thought o' thot'

'I must return tomorrow,' said Nicholas, 'but I ive me a bed-'

'Bed!' cried John, 'I wish thou couldst sleep in fower beds at once Ecod, thou shouldst have 'em a' Bide till I coom back; on'y bide till I coo his wife a hearty kiss, and Nicholas a no less hearty shake of the hand, JohnMrs Browdie to apply herself to hospitable preparations, and his young friend to stroll about the neighbourhood, and revisit spots which were rendered familiar to him by many a miserable association

John cantered away, and arriving at Dotheboys Hall, tied his horse to a gate and made his way to the schoolroom door, which he found locked on the inside A tre his eye to a convenient crevice in the wall, he did not re

The news of Mr Squeers's downfall had reached Dotheboys; that was quite clear To all appearance, it had very recently becoentlemen; for the rebellion had just broken out

It was one of the bris, and Mrs Squeers had entered school according to custoe bowl and spoon, followed by Miss Squeers and the a his father's absence, had taken upon hi the pupils with his nailed boots, pulling the hair of so places, and rendering hireat comfort and happiness to his mother Their entrance, whether by prenal of revolt While one detachment rushed to the door and locked it, and another mounted on the desks and forms, the stoutest (and consequently the newest) boy seized the cane, and confronting Mrs Squeers with a stern countenance, snatched off her cap and beaver bonnet, put them on his own head, armed hio down upon her knees and take a dose directly Before that estihtest retaliation, she was forced into a kneeling posture by a crowd of shouting tormentors, and compelled to s a spoonful of the odious mixture, rendered more than usually savoury by the i was intrusted to another rebel The success of this first achievement proether in every variety of lank and half-starved ugliness, to further acts of outrage The leader was insisting upon Mrs Squeers repeating her dose, Master Squeers was undergoing another dip in the treacle, and a violent assault had been co open the door with a vigorous kick, rushed to the rescue The shouts, screa of hands, suddenly ceased, and a dead silence ensued

'Ye be noice chaps,' said John, looking steadily round 'What's to do here, thou yoong dogs?'

'Squeers is in prison, and we are going to run away!' cried a score of shrill voices 'We won't stop, on't stop!'

'Weel then, dinnot stop,' replied John; 'aants thee to stop? Roon awa' loike men, but dinnot hurt the women'

'Hurrah!' cried the shrill voices, more shrilly still

'Hurrah?' repeated John 'Weel, hurrah loike men too Noo then, look out Hip-hip,-hip-hurrah!'

'Hurrah!' cried the voices

'Hurrah! Agean;' said John 'Looder still'

The boys obeyed

'Anoother!' said John 'Dinnot be afeared on it Let's have a good 'un!'

'Hurrah!'

'Noo then,' said John, 'let's have yan more to end wi', and then coot off as quick as you loike Tak'a good breath noo-Squeers be in jail-the school's brokken oop-it's a' ower-past and gane-think o' thot, and let it be a hearty 'un! Hurrah!'

Such a cheer arose as the walls of Dotheboys Hall had never echoed before, and were destined never to respond to again When the sound had died away, the school was empty; and of the busy noisy crohich had peopled it but five minutes before, not one remained

'Very well, Mr Browdie!' said Miss Squeers, hot and flushed from the recent encounter, but vixenish to the last; 'you've been and excited our boys to run away Now see if we don't pay you out for that, sir! If oing to be basely crowed and conquered over by you and 'Tilda'

'Noa!' replied John bluntly, 'thou bean't Tak' thy oath o' thot Think betther o' us, fanny I tell 'ee both, that I'lod-but ye'll sooffer eneaf wi'out any crowin' fra' me, and I be not the mun to crow, nor be Tilly the lass, so I tell 'ee flat More than thot, I tell 'ee noo, that if thou need'st friends to help thee awa' from this place-dinnot turn up thy nose, fanny, thou may'st-thou'lt foind Tilly and I wi' a thout o' old times aboot us, ready to lend thee a hond And when I say thot, dinnot think I be asheaain, Hurrah! and do words concluded, John Browdie strode heavily out, re, put hi lustily forth so a merry accompaniment, sped back to his pretty wife and to Nicholas

For so country was overrun with boys, who, the report went, had been secretly furnished by Mr and Mrs Browdie, not only with a hearty s and sixpences to help them on their way To this rumour John always returned a stout denial, which he accorin, that rendered the suspicious doubtful, and fully confir children, who, miserable as they had been, and many as were the tears they had shed in the wretched school, still knew no other home, and had formed for it a sort of attachment, whichto it as a refuge Of these, sohtened at the solitude One had a dead bird in a little cage; he had wandered nearly twenty e, and lay down beside him Another was discovered in a yard hard by the school, sleeping with a dog, who bit at those who ca child's pale face

They were taken back, and sorees they were claiain; and, in course of tiotten by the neighbours, or to be only spoken of as as that had been

CHAPTER 65

Conclusion

When her terave her hand and fortune to Nicholas; and, on the same day and at the same time, Kate became Mrs Frank Cheeryble It was expected that Tim Linkinwater and Miss La Creevy would have made a third couple on the occasion, but they declined, and two or three weeks afterwards went out together oneback with merry faces, were found to have been quietly married that day

The ht of his wife he invested in the firm of Cheeryble Brothers, in which Frank had becoan to be carried on in the names of 'Cheeryble and Nickleby,' so that Mrs Nickleby's prophetic anticipations were realised at last

The twin brothers retired Who needs to be told that THEY were happy? They were surrounded by happiness of their own creation, and lived but to increase it

Tim Linkinwater condescended, after , to accept a share in the house; but he could never be prevailed upon to suffer the publication of his naular discharge of his clerkly duties

He and his wife lived in the old house, and occupied the very bedchamber in which he had slept for four-and-forty years As his wife grew older, she becaht-hearted little creature; and it was a co their friends, that it was impossible to say which looked the happier, Ti in his elbow-chair on one side of the fire, or his brisk little wife chatting and laughing, and constantly bustling in and out of hers, on the other

dick, the blackbird, was re-house and pro-roo twoherself, and the other Ti very hard at all beholders Ti powdered like a twelfth cake, and his spectacles copied with great nicety, strangers detected a close rese the therew very proud of these achieve the most successful likenesses she had ever painted Tim had the profoundest faith in them, likewise; for on this, as on all other subjects, they held but one opinion; and if ever there were a 'comfortable couple' in the world, it was Mr and Mrs Linkinwater

Ralph, having died intestate, and having no relations but those hoal course his heirs But they could not bear the thought of growing rich on h they could never hope to prosper with it They made no claim to his wealth; and the riches for which he had toiled all his days, and burdened his soul with so many evil deeds, were swept at last into the coffers of the state, and no man was the better or the happier for them

Arthur Gride was tried for the unlawful possession of the will, which he had either procured to be stolen, or had dishonestly acquired and retained by other al flaw, he escaped; but only to undergo a worse punishment; for, soht by robbers, tereat wealth, and he was found murdered in his bed

Mrs Sliderskeent beyond the seas at nearly the same time as Mr Squeers, and in the course of nature never returned Brooker died penitent Sir Mulberry Hawk lived abroad for soh repute as a fine dashi+ng fellow Ulti to this country, he was thrown into jail for debt, and there perished enerally do

The first act of Nicholas, when he became a rich and prosperous merchant, was to buy his father's old house As tiroup of lovely children, it was altered and enlarged; but none of the old rooms were ever pulled down, no old tree was ever rooted up, nothing hich there was any association of bygone tied

Within a stone's throas another retreat, enlivened by children's pleasant voices too; and here was Kate, withher sweet smile (and one so like her own, that to her entle creature, the same fond sister, the sairlish days

Mrs Nickleby lived, sohter, and so one or other of theed both fareat appearance of dignity, and relating her experiences (especially on points connected with the -up of children) withtime before she could be induced to receive Mrs Linkinwater into favour, and it is even doubtful whether she ever thoroughly forgave her

There was one grey-haired, quiet, harentlee hard by Nicholas's house, and, when he was not there, assumed the superintendence of affairs His chief pleasure and delight was in the children, hom he was a child himself, andwithout dear Newrave, and trodden by feet so sht, that not a daisy drooped its head beneath their pressure Through all the spring and suarlands of fresh flowers, wreathed by infant hands, rested on the stone; and, when the children cae theer, their eyes filled with tears, and they spoke low and softly of their poor dead cousin