Acquaints the Reader with the Cause and Origin of the Interruption described in the last Chapter, and with some other Matters necessary to be known
Newman Noggs scrambled1 in violent haste upstairs with the steaming beverage2, which he had so unceremoniously snatched from the table of Mr Kenwigs, and indeed from the very grasp of the water-rate collector, who was eyeing the contents of the tumbler, at the moment of its unexpected abstraction, with lively marks of pleasure visible in his countenance3. He bore his prize straight to his own back-garret, where, footsore and nearly shoeless, wet, dirty, jaded4, and disfigured with every mark of fatiguing5 travel, sat Nicholas and Smike, at once the cause and partner of his toil6; both perfectly7 worn out by their unwonted and protracted8 exertion9.
Newman’s first act was to compel Nicholas, with gentle force, to swallow half of the punch at a breath, nearly boiling as it was; and his next, to pour the remainder down the throat of Smike, who, never having tasted anything stronger than aperient medicine in his whole life, exhibited various odd manifestations10 of surprise and delight, during the passage of the liquor down his throat, and turned up his eyes most emphatically when it was all gone.
‘You are wet through,’ said Newman, passing his hand hastily over the coat which Nicholas had thrown off; ‘and I—I—haven’t even a change,’ he added, with a wistful glance at the shabby clothes he wore himself.
‘I have dry clothes, or at least such as will serve my turn well, in my bundle,’ replied Nicholas. ‘If you look so distressed11 to see me, you will add to the pain I feel already, at being compelled, for one night, to cast myself upon your slender means for aid and shelter.’
Newman did not look the less distressed to hear Nicholas talking in this strain; but, upon his young friend grasping him heartily12 by the hand, and assuring him that nothing but implicit13 confidence in the sincerity14 of his professions, and kindness of feeling towards himself, would have induced him, on any consideration, even to have made him acquainted with his arrival in London, Mr. Noggs brightened up again, and went about making such arrangements as were in his power for the comfort of his visitors, with extreme alacrity15.
These were simple enough; poor Newman’s means halting at a very considerable distance short of his inclinations16; but, slight as they were, they were not made without much bustling17 and running about. As Nicholas had husbanded his scanty18 stock of money, so well that it was not yet quite expended19, a supper of bread and cheese, with some cold beef from the cook’s shop, was soon placed upon the table; and these viands20 being flanked by a bottle of spirits and a pot of porter, there was no ground for apprehension21 on the score of hunger or thirst, at all events. Such preparations as Newman had it in his power to make, for the accommodation of his guests during the night, occupied no very great time in completing; and as he had insisted, as an express preliminary, that Nicholas should change his clothes, and that Smike should invest himself in his solitary22 coat (which no entreaties23 would dissuade24 him from stripping off for the purpose), the travellers partook of their frugal25 fare, with more satisfaction than one of them at least had derived26 from many a better meal.
They then drew near the fire, which Newman Noggs had made up as well as he could, after the inroads of Crowl upon the fuel; and Nicholas, who had hitherto been restrained by the extreme anxiety of his friend that he should refresh himself after his journey, now pressed him with earnest questions concerning his mother and sister.
‘Well,’ replied Newman, with his accustomed taciturnity; ‘both well.’
‘They are living in the city still?’ inquired Nicholas.
‘They are,’ said Newman.
‘And my sister,’—added Nicholas. ‘Is she still engaged in the business which she wrote to tell me she thought she should like so much?’
Newman opened his eyes rather wider than usual, but merely replied by a gasp28, which, according to the action of the head that accompanied it, was interpreted by his friends as meaning yes or no. In the present instance, the pantomime consisted of a nod, and not a shake; so Nicholas took the answer as a favourable29 one.
‘Now listen to me,’ said Nicholas, laying his hand on Newman’s shoulder. ‘Before I would make an effort to see them, I deemed it expedient30 to come to you, lest, by gratifying my own selfish desire, I should inflict31 an injury upon them which I can never repair. What has my uncle heard from Yorkshire?’
Newman opened and shut his mouth, several times, as though he were trying his utmost to speak, but could make nothing of it, and finally fixed32 his eyes on Nicholas with a grim and ghastly stare.
‘What has he heard?’ urged Nicholas, colouring. ‘You see that I am prepared to hear the very worst that malice33 can have suggested. Why should you conceal34 it from me? I must know it sooner or later; and what purpose can be gained by trifling35 with the matter for a few minutes, when half the time would put me in possession of all that has occurred? Tell me at once, pray.’
‘Tomorrow morning,’ said Newman; ‘hear it tomorrow.’
‘What purpose would that answer?’ urged Nicholas.
‘You would sleep the better,’ replied Newman.
‘I should sleep the worse,’ answered Nicholas, impatiently. ‘Sleep! Exhausted36 as I am, and standing37 in no common need of rest, I cannot hope to close my eyes all night, unless you tell me everything.’
‘And if I should tell you everything,’ said Newman, hesitating.
‘Why, then you may rouse my indignation or wound my pride,’ rejoined Nicholas; ‘but you will not break my rest; for if the scene were acted over again, I could take no other part than I have taken; and whatever consequences may accrue38 to myself from it, I shall never regret doing as I have done—never, if I starve or beg in consequence. What is a little poverty or suffering, to the disgrace of the basest and most inhuman39 cowardice40! I tell you, if I had stood by, tamely and passively, I should have hated myself, and merited the contempt of every man in existence. The black-hearted scoundrel!’
With this gentle allusion41 to the absent Mr. Squeers, Nicholas repressed his rising wrath42, and relating to Newman exactly what had passed at Dotheboys Hall, entreated43 him to speak out without more pressing. Thus adjured44, Mr Noggs took, from an old trunk, a sheet of paper, which appeared to have been scrawled45 over in great haste; and after sundry46 extraordinary demonstrations47 of reluctance48, delivered himself in the following terms.
‘My dear young man, you mustn’t give way to—this sort of thing will never do, you know—as to getting on in the world, if you take everybody’s part that’s ill-treated—Damn it, I am proud to hear of it; and would have done it myself!’
Newman accompanied this very unusual outbreak with a violent blow upon the table, as if, in the heat of the moment, he had mistaken it for the chest or ribs49 of Mr. Wackford Squeers. Having, by this open declaration of his feelings, quite precluded50 himself from offering Nicholas any cautious worldly advice (which had been his first intention), Mr. Noggs went straight to the point.
‘The day before yesterday,’ said Newman, ‘your uncle received this letter. I took a hasty copy of it, while he was out. Shall I read it?’
‘If you please,’ replied Nicholas. Newman Noggs accordingly read as follows:
‘Dotheboys Hall, ‘Thursday Morning. ‘Sir,
‘My pa requests me to write to you, the doctors considering it doubtful whether he will ever recuvver the use of his legs which prevents his holding a pen.
‘We are in a state of mind beyond everything, and my pa is one mask of brooses both blue and green likewise two forms are steepled in his Goar. We were kimpelled to have him carried down into the kitchen where he now lays. You will judge from this that he has been brought very low.
‘When your nevew that you recommended for a teacher had done this to my pa and jumped upon his body with his feet and also langwedge which I will not pollewt my pen with describing, he assaulted my ma with dreadful violence, dashed her to the earth, and drove her back comb several inches into her head. A very little more and it must have entered her skull51. We have a medical certifiket that if it had, the tortershell would have affected52 the brain.
‘Me and my brother were then the victims of his feury since which we have suffered very much which leads us to the arrowing belief that we have received some injury in our insides, especially as no marks of violence are visible externally. I am screaming out loud all the time I write and so is my brother which takes off my attention rather and I hope will excuse mistakes.
‘The monster having sasiated his thirst for blood ran away, taking with him a boy of desperate character that he had excited to rebellyon, and a garnet ring belonging to my ma, and not having been apprehended53 by the constables54 is supposed to have been took up by some stage-coach. My pa begs that if he comes to you the ring may be returned, and that you will let the thief and assassin go, as if we prosecuted55 him he would only be transported, and if he is let go he is sure to be hung before long which will save us trouble and be much more satisfactory. Hoping to hear from you when convenient
‘I remain ‘Yours and cetrer ‘FANNY SQUEERS.
‘P.S. I pity his ignorance and despise him.’
A profound silence succeeded to the reading of this choice epistle, during which Newman Noggs, as he folded it up, gazed with a kind of grotesque56 pity at the boy of desperate character therein referred to; who, having no more distinct perception of the matter in hand, than that he had been the unfortunate cause of heaping trouble and falsehood upon Nicholas, sat mute and dispirited, with a most woe-begone and heart-stricken look.
‘Mr. Noggs,’ said Nicholas, after a few moments’ reflection, ‘I must go out at once.’
‘Go out!’ cried Newman.
‘Yes,’ said Nicholas, ‘to Golden Square. Nobody who knows me would believe this story of the ring; but it may suit the purpose, or gratify the hatred57 of Mr. Ralph Nickleby to feign58 to attach credence59 to it. It is due—not to him, but to myself—that I should state the truth; and moreover, I have a word or two to exchange with him, which will not keep cool.’
‘They must,’ said Newman.
‘They must not, indeed,’ rejoined Nicholas firmly, as he prepared to leave the house.
‘Hear me speak,’ said Newman, planting himself before his impetuous young friend. ‘He is not there. He is away from town. He will not be back for three days; and I know that letter will not be answered before he returns.’
‘Are you sure of this?’ asked Nicholas, chafing60 violently, and pacing the narrow room with rapid strides.
‘Quite,’ rejoined Newman. ‘He had hardly read it when he was called away. Its contents are known to nobody but himself and us.’
‘Are you certain?’ demanded Nicholas, precipitately61; ‘not even to my mother or sister? If I thought that they—I will go there—I must see them. Which is the way? Where is it?’
‘Now, be advised by me,’ said Newman, speaking for the moment, in his earnestness, like any other man—‘make no effort to see even them, till he comes home. I know the man. Do not seem to have been tampering62 with anybody. When he returns, go straight to him, and speak as boldly as you like. Guessing at the real truth, he knows it as well as you or I. Trust him for that.’
‘You mean well to me, and should know him better than I can,’ replied Nicholas, after some consideration. ‘Well; let it be so.’
Newman, who had stood during the foregoing conversation with his back planted against the door, ready to oppose any egress63 from the apartment by force, if necessary, resumed his seat with much satisfaction; and as the water in the kettle was by this time boiling, made a glassful of spirits and water for Nicholas, and a cracked mug-full for the joint64 accommodation of himself and Smike, of which the two partook in great harmony, while Nicholas, leaning his head upon his hand, remained buried in melancholy65 meditation66.
Meanwhile, the company below stairs, after listening attentively67 and not hearing any noise which would justify68 them in interfering69 for the gratification of their curiosity, returned to the chamber70 of the Kenwigses, and employed themselves in hazarding a great variety of conjectures71 relative to the cause of Mr. Noggs’ sudden disappearance72 and detention73.
‘Lor, I’ll tell you what,’ said Mrs. Kenwigs. ‘Suppose it should be an express sent up to say that his property has all come back again!’
‘Dear me,’ said Mr. Kenwigs; ‘it’s not impossible. Perhaps, in that case, we’d better send up and ask if he won’t take a little more punch.’
‘Kenwigs!’ said Mr. Lillyvick, in a loud voice, ‘I’m surprised at you.’
‘What’s the matter, sir?’ asked Mr. Kenwigs, with becoming submission74 to the collector of water-rates.
‘Making such a remark as that, sir,’ replied Mr. Lillyvick, angrily. ‘He has had punch already, has he not, sir? I consider the way in which that punch was cut off, if I may use the expression, highly disrespectful to this company; scandalous, perfectly scandalous. It may be the custom to allow such things in this house, but it’s not the kind of behaviour that I’ve been used to see displayed, and so I don’t mind telling you, Kenwigs. A gentleman has a glass of punch before him to which he is just about to set his lips, when another gentleman comes and collars that glass of punch, without a “with your leave”, or “by your leave”, and carries that glass of punch away. This may be good manners—I dare say it is—but I don’t understand it, that’s all; and what’s more, I don’t care if I never do. It’s my way to speak my mind, Kenwigs, and that is my mind; and if you don’t like it, it’s past my regular time for going to bed, and I can find my way home without making it later.’
Here was an untoward75 event! The collector had sat swelling76 and fuming77 in offended dignity for some minutes, and had now fairly burst out. The great man—the rich relation—the unmarried uncle—who had it in his power to make Morleena an heiress, and the very baby a legatee—was offended. Gracious Powers, where was this to end!
‘Don’t tell me you’re sorry,’ retorted Mr. Lillyvick, with much sharpness. ‘You should have prevented it, then.’
The company were quite paralysed by this domestic crash. The back-parlour sat with her mouth wide open, staring vacantly at the collector, in a stupor79 of dismay; the other guests were scarcely less overpowered by the great man’s irritation80. Mr. Kenwigs, not being skilful81 in such matters, only fanned the flame in attempting to extinguish it.
‘I didn’t think of it, I am sure, sir,’ said that gentleman. ‘I didn’t suppose that such a little thing as a glass of punch would have put you out of temper.’
‘Out of temper! What the devil do you mean by that piece of impertinence, Mr. Kenwigs?’ said the collector. ‘Morleena, child—give me my hat.’
‘Oh, you’re not going, Mr. Lillyvick, sir,’ interposed Miss Petowker, with her most bewitching smile.
But still Mr. Lillyvick, regardless of the siren, cried obdurately82, ‘Morleena, my hat!’ upon the fourth repetition of which demand, Mrs Kenwigs sunk back in her chair, with a cry that might have softened83 a water-butt, not to say a water-collector; while the four little girls (privately instructed to that effect) clasped their uncle’s drab shorts in their arms, and prayed him, in imperfect English, to remain.
‘Why should I stop here, my dears?’ said Mr. Lillyvick; ‘I’m not wanted here.’
‘I shouldn’t wonder if some people were to say I did,’ replied Mr Lillyvick, glancing angrily at Kenwigs. ‘Out of temper!’
‘Oh! I cannot bear to see him look so, at my husband,’ cried Mrs. Kenwigs. ‘It’s so dreadful in families. Oh!’
‘Mr. Lillyvick,’ said Kenwigs, ‘I hope, for the sake of your niece, that you won’t object to be reconciled.’
The collector’s features relaxed, as the company added their entreaties to those of his nephew-in-law. He gave up his hat, and held out his hand.
‘There, Kenwigs,’ said Mr. Lillyvick; ‘and let me tell you, at the same time, to show you how much out of temper I was, that if I had gone away without another word, it would have made no difference respecting that pound or two which I shall leave among your children when I die.’
‘Morleena Kenwigs,’ cried her mother, in a torrent85 of affection. ‘Go down upon your knees to your dear uncle, and beg him to love you all his life through, for he’s more a angel than a man, and I’ve always said so.’
Miss Morleena approaching to do homage86, in compliance87 with this injunction, was summarily caught up and kissed by Mr. Lillyvick; and thereupon Mrs. Kenwigs darted88 forward and kissed the collector, and an irrepressible murmur89 of applause broke from the company who had witnessed his magnanimity.
The worthy90 gentleman then became once more the life and soul of the society; being again reinstated in his old post of lion, from which high station the temporary distraction91 of their thoughts had for a moment dispossessed him. Quadruped lions are said to be savage92, only when they are hungry; biped lions are rarely sulky longer than when their appetite for distinction remains93 unappeased. Mr. Lillyvick stood higher than ever; for he had shown his power; hinted at his property and testamentary intentions; gained great credit for disinterestedness94 and virtue95; and, in addition to all, was finally accommodated with a much larger tumbler of punch than that which Newman Noggs had so feloniously made off with.
‘I say! I beg everybody’s pardon for intruding96 again,’ said Crowl, looking in at this happy juncture97; ‘but what a queer business this is, isn’t it? Noggs has lived in this house, now going on for five years, and nobody has ever been to see him before, within the memory of the oldest inhabitant.’
‘It’s a strange time of night to be called away, sir, certainly,’ said the collector; ‘and the behaviour of Mr. Noggs himself, is, to say the least of it, mysterious.’
‘Well, so it is,’ rejoined Crowl; ‘and I’ll tell you what’s more—I think these two geniuses, whoever they are, have run away from somewhere.’
‘What makes you think that, sir?’ demanded the collector, who seemed, by a tacit understanding, to have been chosen and elected mouthpiece to the company. ‘You have no reason to suppose that they have run away from anywhere without paying the rates and taxes due, I hope?’
Mr. Crowl, with a look of some contempt, was about to enter a general protest against the payment of rates or taxes, under any circumstances, when he was checked by a timely whisper from Kenwigs, and several frowns and winks98 from Mrs. K., which providentially stopped him.
‘Why the fact is,’ said Crowl, who had been listening at Newman’s door with all his might and main; ‘the fact is, that they have been talking so loud, that they quite disturbed me in my room, and so I couldn’t help catching99 a word here, and a word there; and all I heard, certainly seemed to refer to their having bolted from some place or other. I don’t wish to alarm Mrs. Kenwigs; but I hope they haven’t come from any jail or hospital, and brought away a fever or some unpleasantness of that sort, which might be catching for the children.’
Mrs. Kenwigs was so overpowered by this supposition, that it needed all the tender attentions of Miss Petowker, of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, to restore her to anything like a state of calmness; not to mention the assiduity of Mr. Kenwigs, who held a fat smelling-bottle to his lady’s nose, until it became matter of some doubt whether the tears which coursed down her face were the result of feelings or sal volatile100.
The ladies, having expressed their sympathy, singly and separately, fell, according to custom, into a little chorus of soothing101 expressions, among which, such condolences as ‘Poor dear!’—‘I should feel just the same, if I was her’—‘To be sure, it’s a very trying thing’—and ‘Nobody but a mother knows what a mother’s feelings is,’ were among the most prominent, and most frequently repeated. In short, the opinion of the company was so clearly manifested, that Mr. Kenwigs was on the point of repairing to Mr. Noggs’s room, to demand an explanation, and had indeed swallowed a preparatory glass of punch, with great inflexibility102 and steadiness of purpose, when the attention of all present was diverted by a new and terrible surprise.
This was nothing less than the sudden pouring forth103 of a rapid succession of the shrillest and most piercing screams, from an upper story; and to all appearance from the very two-pair back, in which the infant Kenwigs was at that moment enshrined. They were no sooner audible, than Mrs Kenwigs, opining that a strange cat had come in, and sucked the baby’s breath while the girl was asleep, made for the door, wringing104 her hands, and shrieking105 dismally106; to the great consternation107 and confusion of the company.
‘Mr. Kenwigs, see what it is; make haste!’ cried the sister, laying violent hands upon Mrs. Kenwigs, and holding her back by force. ‘Oh don’t twist about so, dear, or I can never hold you.’
‘My baby, my blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed baby!’ screamed Mrs Kenwigs, making every blessed louder than the last. ‘My own darling, sweet, innocent Lillyvick—Oh let me go to him. Let me go-o-o-o!’
Pending108 the utterance109 of these frantic110 cries, and the wails111 and lamentations of the four little girls, Mr. Kenwigs rushed upstairs to the room whence the sounds proceeded; at the door of which, he encountered Nicholas, with the child in his arms, who darted out with such violence, that the anxious father was thrown down six stairs, and alighted on the nearest landing-place, before he had found time to open his mouth to ask what was the matter.
‘Don’t be alarmed,’ cried Nicholas, running down; ‘here it is; it’s all out, it’s all over; pray compose yourselves; there’s no harm done;’ and with these, and a thousand other assurances, he delivered the baby (whom, in his hurry, he had carried upside down), to Mrs. Kenwigs, and ran back to assist Mr. Kenwigs, who was rubbing his head very hard, and looking much bewildered by his tumble.
Reassured112 by this cheering intelligence, the company in some degree recovered from their fears, which had been productive of some most singular instances of a total want of presence of mind; thus, the bachelor friend had, for a long time, supported in his arms Mrs. Kenwigs’s sister, instead of Mrs. Kenwigs; and the worthy Mr. Lillyvick had been actually seen, in the perturbation of his spirits, to kiss Miss Petowker several times, behind the room-door, as calmly as if nothing distressing113 were going forward.
‘It is a mere27 nothing,’ said Nicholas, returning to Mrs. Kenwigs; ‘the little girl, who was watching the child, being tired I suppose, fell asleep, and set her hair on fire.’
‘Oh you malicious114 little wretch115!’ cried Mrs. Kenwigs, impressively shaking her forefinger116 at the small unfortunate, who might be thirteen years old, and was looking on with a singed117 head and a frightened face.
‘I heard her cries,’ continued Nicholas, ‘and ran down, in time to prevent her setting fire to anything else. You may depend upon it that the child is not hurt; for I took it off the bed myself, and brought it here to convince you.’
This brief explanation over, the infant, who, as he was christened after the collector! rejoiced in the names of Lillyvick Kenwigs, was partially118 suffocated119 under the caresses120 of the audience, and squeezed to his mother’s bosom121, until he roared again. The attention of the company was then directed, by a natural transition, to the little girl who had had the audacity122 to burn her hair off, and who, after receiving sundry small slaps and pushes from the more energetic of the ladies, was mercifully sent home: the ninepence, with which she was to have been rewarded, being escheated to the Kenwigs family.
‘And whatever we are to say to you, sir,’ exclaimed Mrs. Kenwigs, addressing young Lillyvick’s deliverer, ‘I am sure I don’t know.’
‘You need say nothing at all,’ replied Nicholas. ‘I have done nothing to found any very strong claim upon your eloquence123, I am sure.’
‘He might have been burnt to death, if it hadn’t been for you, sir,’ simpered Miss Petowker.
‘Not very likely, I think,’ replied Nicholas; ‘for there was abundance of assistance here, which must have reached him before he had been in any danger.’
‘You will let us drink your health, anyvays, sir!’ said Mr. Kenwigs motioning towards the table.
‘—In my absence, by all means,’ rejoined Nicholas, with a smile. ‘I have had a very fatiguing journey, and should be most indifferent company—a far greater check upon your merriment, than a promoter of it, even if I kept awake, which I think very doubtful. If you will allow me, I’ll return to my friend, Mr. Noggs, who went upstairs again, when he found nothing serious had occurred. Good-night.’
Excusing himself, in these terms, from joining in the festivities, Nicholas took a most winning farewell of Mrs. Kenwigs and the other ladies, and retired124, after making a very extraordinary impression upon the company.
‘What a delightful125 young man!’ cried Mrs. Kenwigs.
‘Uncommon gentlemanly, really,’ said Mr. Kenwigs. ‘Don’t you think so, Mr Lillyvick?’
‘Yes,’ said the collector, with a dubious126 shrug127 of his shoulders, ‘He is gentlemanly, very gentlemanly—in appearance.’
‘I hope you don’t see anything against him, uncle?’ inquired Mrs. Kenwigs.
‘No, my dear,’ replied the collector, ‘no. I trust he may not turn out—well—no matter—my love to you, my dear, and long life to the baby!’
‘Your namesake,’ said Mrs. Kenwigs, with a sweet smile.
‘And I hope a worthy namesake,’ observed Mr. Kenwigs, willing to propitiate128 the collector. ‘I hope a baby as will never disgrace his godfather, and as may be considered, in arter years, of a piece with the Lillyvicks whose name he bears. I do say—and Mrs. Kenwigs is of the same sentiment, and feels it as strong as I do—that I consider his being called Lillyvick one of the greatest blessings130 and Honours of my existence.’
‘The greatest blessing,’ said Mr. Kenwigs, correcting himself. ‘A blessing that I hope, one of these days, I may be able to deserve.’
This was a politic131 stroke of the Kenwigses, because it made Mr. Lillyvick the great head and fountain of the baby’s importance. The good gentleman felt the delicacy132 and dexterity133 of the touch, and at once proposed the health of the gentleman, name unknown, who had signalised himself, that night, by his coolness and alacrity.
‘Who, I don’t mind saying,’ observed Mr. Lillyvick, as a great concession134, ‘is a good-looking young man enough, with manners that I hope his character may be equal to.’
‘He has a very nice face and style, really,’ said Mrs. Kenwigs.
‘He certainly has,’ added Miss Petowker. ‘There’s something in his appearance quite—dear, dear, what’s that word again?’
‘What word?’ inquired Mr. Lillyvick.
‘Why—dear me, how stupid I am,’ replied Miss Petowker, hesitating. ‘What do you call it, when Lords break off door-knockers and beat policemen, and play at coaches with other people’s money, and all that sort of thing?’
‘Aristocratic?’ suggested the collector.
‘Ah! aristocratic,’ replied Miss Petowker; ‘something very aristocratic about him, isn’t there?’
The gentleman held their peace, and smiled at each other, as who should say, ‘Well! there’s no accounting135 for tastes;’ but the ladies resolved unanimously that Nicholas had an aristocratic air; and nobody caring to dispute the position, it was established triumphantly136.
The punch being, by this time, drunk out, and the little Kenwigses (who had for some time previously137 held their little eyes open with their little forefingers) becoming fractious, and requesting rather urgently to be put to bed, the collector made a move by pulling out his watch, and acquainting the company that it was nigh two o’clock; whereat some of the guests were surprised and others shocked, and hats and bonnets138 being groped for under the tables, and in course of time found, their owners went away, after a vast deal of shaking of hands, and many remarks how they had never spent such a delightful evening, and how they marvelled139 to find it so late, expecting to have heard that it was half-past ten at the very latest, and how they wished that Mr. and Mrs. Kenwigs had a wedding-day once a week, and how they wondered by what hidden agency Mrs. Kenwigs could possibly have managed so well; and a great deal more of the same kind. To all of which flattering expressions, Mr. and Mrs. Kenwigs replied, by thanking every lady and gentleman, seriatim, for the favour of their company, and hoping they might have enjoyed themselves only half as well as they said they had.
As to Nicholas, quite unconscious of the impression he had produced, he had long since fallen asleep, leaving Mr. Newman Noggs and Smike to empty the spirit bottle between them; and this office they performed with such extreme good-will, that Newman was equally at a loss to determine whether he himself was quite sober, and whether he had ever seen any gentleman so heavily, drowsily140, and completely intoxicated141 as his new acquaintance.
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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jaded
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| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
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fatiguing
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| a.使人劳累的 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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7
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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16
inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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17
bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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viands
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| n.食品，食物 | |
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21
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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23
entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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24
dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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25
frugal
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| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
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26
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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28
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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30
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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31
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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32
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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33
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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34
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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35
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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36
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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37
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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38
accrue
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| v.(利息等)增大，增多 | |
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39
inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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40
cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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41
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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42
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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43
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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adjured
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| v.（以起誓或诅咒等形式）命令要求( adjure的过去式和过去分词 )；祈求；恳求 | |
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45
scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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47
demonstrations
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| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
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48
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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49
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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precluded
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| v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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51
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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52
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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53
apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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54
constables
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| n.警察( constable的名词复数 ) | |
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55
prosecuted
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| a.被起诉的 | |
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56
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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57
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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58
feign
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| vt.假装，佯作 | |
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59
credence
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| n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证 | |
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60
chafing
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| n.皮肤发炎v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的现在分词 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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61
precipitately
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| adv.猛进地 | |
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62
tampering
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| v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
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63
egress
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| n.出去；出口 | |
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64
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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65
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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66
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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68
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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69
interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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70
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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71
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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72
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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73
detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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74
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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75
untoward
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| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
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76
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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77
fuming
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| 愤怒( fume的现在分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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78
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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79
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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80
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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81
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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82
obdurately
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| adv.顽固地，执拗地 | |
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83
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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84
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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85
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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86
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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87
compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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88
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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89
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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90
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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91
distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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92
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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93
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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94
disinterestedness
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95
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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96
intruding
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| v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于 | |
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97
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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98
winks
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| v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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99
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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100
volatile
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| adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质 | |
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101
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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102
inflexibility
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| n.不屈性，顽固，不变性；不可弯曲；非挠性；刚性 | |
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103
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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104
wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
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105
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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106
dismally
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| adv.阴暗地，沉闷地 | |
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107
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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108
pending
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| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
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109
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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110
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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111
wails
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| 痛哭，哭声( wail的名词复数 ) | |
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112
reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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113
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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114
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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115
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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116
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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117
singed
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| v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿] | |
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118
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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119
suffocated
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| （使某人）窒息而死( suffocate的过去式和过去分词 )； （将某人）闷死； 让人感觉闷热； 憋气 | |
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120
caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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121
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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122
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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123
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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124
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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125
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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126
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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127
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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128
propitiate
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| v.慰解，劝解 | |
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129
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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130
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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131
politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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132
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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133
dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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134
concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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135
accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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136
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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137
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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138
bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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139
marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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140
drowsily
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| adv.睡地，懒洋洋地，昏昏欲睡地 | |
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141
intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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