In which Mr Ralph Nickleby is relieved, by a veryexpeditious Process, from all Commerce with hisRelations.
S mike and Newman Noggs, who in his impatience1 hadreturned home long before the time agreed upon, satbefore the fire, listening anxiously to every footstep on thestairs, and the slightest sound that stirred within the house, for theapproach of Nicholas. Time had worn on, and it was growing late.
He had promised to be back in an hour; and his prolongedabsence began to excite considerable alarm in the minds of both,as was abundantly testified by the blank looks they cast upon eachother at every new disappointment.
At length a coach was heard to stop, and Newman ran out tolight Nicholas up the stairs. Beholding2 him in the trim describedat the conclusion of the last chapter, he stood aghast in wonderand consternation3.
‘Don’t be alarmed,’ said Nicholas, hurrying him back into theroom. ‘There is no harm done, beyond what a basin of water canrepair.’
‘No harm!’ cried Newman, passing his hands hastily over theback and arms of Nicholas, as if to assure himself that he hadbroken no bones. ‘What have you been doing?’
‘I know all,’ interrupted Nicholas; ‘I have heard a part, andguessed the rest. But before I remove one jot4 of these stains, Imust hear the whole from you. You see I am collected. My resolution is taken. Now, my good friend, speak out; for the timefor any palliation or concealment5 is past, and nothing will availRalph Nickleby now.’
‘Your dress is torn in several places; you walk lame6, and I amsure you are suffering pain,’ said Newman. ‘Let me see to yourhurts first.’
‘I have no hurts to see to, beyond a little soreness and stiffnessthat will soon pass off,’ said Nicholas, seating himself with somedifficulty. ‘But if I had fractured every limb, and still preserved mysenses, you should not bandage one till you had told me what Ihave the right to know. Come,’ said Nicholas, giving his hand toNoggs. ‘You had a sister of your own, you told me once, who diedbefore you fell into misfortune. Now think of her, and tell me,Newman.’
‘Yes, I will, I will,’ said Noggs. ‘I’ll tell you the whole truth.’
Newman did so. Nicholas nodded his head from time to time, asit corroborated7 the particulars he had already gleaned8; but hefixed his eyes upon the fire, and did not look round once.
His recital9 ended, Newman insisted upon his young friend’sstripping off his coat and allowing whatever injuries he hadreceived to be properly tended. Nicholas, after some opposition10, atlength consented, and, while some pretty severe bruises11 on hisarms and shoulders were being rubbed with oil and vinegar, andvarious other efficacious remedies which Newman borrowed fromthe different lodgers12, related in what manner they had beenreceived. The recital made a strong impression on the warmimagination of Newman; for when Nicholas came to the violentpart of the quarrel, he rubbed so hard, as to occasion him the mostexquisite pain, which he would not have exhibited, however, for the world, it being perfectly13 clear that, for the moment, Newmanwas operating on Sir Mulberry Hawk14, and had quite lost sight ofhis real patient.
This martyrdom over, Nicholas arranged with Newman thatwhile he was otherwise occupied next morning, arrangementsshould be made for his mother’s immediately quitting her presentresidence, and also for dispatching Miss La Creevy to break theintelligence to her. He then wrapped himself in Smike’s greatcoat,and repaired to the inn where they were to pass the night, andwhere (after writing a few lines to Ralph, the delivery of which wasto be intrusted to Newman next day), he endeavoured to obtainthe repose15 of which he stood so much in need.
Drunken men, they say, may roll down precipices16, and be quiteunconscious of any serious personal inconvenience when theirreason returns. The remark may possibly apply to injuriesreceived in other kinds of violent excitement: certain it is, thatalthough Nicholas experienced some pain on first awakening17 nextmorning, he sprung out of bed as the clock struck seven, with verylittle difficulty, and was soon as much on the alert as if nothinghad occurred.
Merely looking into Smike’s room, and telling him thatNewman Noggs would call for him very shortly, Nicholasdescended into the street, and calling a hackney coach, bade theman drive to Mrs Wititterly’s, according to the direction whichNewman had given him on the previous night.
It wanted a quarter to eight when they reached Cadogan Place.
Nicholas began to fear that no one might be stirring at that earlyhour, when he was relieved by the sight of a female servant,employed in cleaning the door-steps. By this functionary18 he was referred to the doubtful page, who appeared with dishevelled hairand a very warm and glossy19 face, as of a page who had just got outof bed.
By this young gentleman he was informed that Miss Nicklebywas then taking her morning’s walk in the gardens before thehouse. On the question being propounded20 whether he could goand find her, the page desponded and thought not; but beingstimulated with a shilling, the page grew sanguine21 and thought hecould.
‘Say to Miss Nickleby that her brother is here, and in greathaste to see her,’ said Nicholas.
The plated buttons disappeared with an alacrity22 most unusualto them, and Nicholas paced the room in a state of feverishagitation which made the delay even of a minute insupportable.
He soon heard a light footstep which he well knew, and before hecould advance to meet her, Kate had fallen on his neck and burstinto tears.
‘My darling girl,’ said Nicholas as he embraced her. ‘How paleyou are!’
‘I have been so unhappy here, dear brother,’ sobbed23 poor Kate;‘so very, very miserable24. Do not leave me here, dear Nicholas, or Ishall die of a broken heart.’
‘I will leave you nowhere,’ answered Nicholas—‘never again,Kate,’ he cried, moved in spite of himself as he folded her to hisheart. ‘Tell me that I acted for the best. Tell me that we partedbecause I feared to bring misfortune on your head; that it was atrial to me no less than to yourself, and that if I did wrong it was inignorance of the world and unknowingly.’
‘Why should I tell you what we know so well?’ returned Kate soothingly25. ‘Nicholas—dear Nicholas—how can you give waythus?’
‘It is such bitter reproach to me to know what you haveundergone,’ returned her brother; ‘to see you so much altered, andyet so kind and patient—God!’ cried Nicholas, clenching26 his fistand suddenly changing his tone and manner, ‘it sets my wholeblood on fire again. You must leave here with me directly; youshould not have slept here last night, but that I knew all this toolate. To whom can I speak, before we drive away?’
This question was most opportunely27 put, for at that instant MrWititterly walked in, and to him Kate introduced her brother, whoat once announced his purpose, and the impossibility of deferringit.
‘The quarter’s notice,’ said Mr Wititterly, with the gravity of aman on the right side, ‘is not yet half expired. Therefore—’
‘Therefore,’ interposed Nicholas, ‘the quarter’s salary must belost, sir. You will excuse this extreme haste, but circumstancesrequire that I should immediately remove my sister, and I havenot a moment’s time to lose. Whatever she brought here I will sendfor, if you will allow me, in the course of the day.’
Mr Wititterly bowed, but offered no opposition to Kate’simmediate departure; with which, indeed, he was rather gratifiedthan otherwise, Sir Tumley Snuffim having given it as his opinion,that she rather disagreed with Mrs Wititterly’s constitution.
‘With regard to the trifle of salary that is due,’ said MrWititterly, ‘I will’—here he was interrupted by a violent fit ofcoughing—‘I will—owe it to Miss Nickleby.’
Mr Wititterly, it should be observed, was accustomed to owesmall accounts, and to leave them owing. All men have some little pleasant way of their own; and this was Mr Wititterly’s.
‘If you please,’ said Nicholas. And once more offering a hurriedapology for so sudden a departure, he hurried Kate into thevehicle, and bade the man drive with all speed into the city.
To the city they went accordingly, with all the speed thehackney coach could make; and as the horses happened to live atWhitechapel and to be in the habit of taking their breakfast there,when they breakfasted at all, they performed the journey withgreater expedition than could reasonably have been expected.
Nicholas sent Kate upstairs a few minutes before him, that hisunlooked-for appearance might not alarm his mother, and whenthe way had been paved, presented himself with much duty andaffection. Newman had not been idle, for there was a little cart atthe door, and the effects were hurrying out already.
Now, Mrs Nickleby was not the sort of person to be toldanything in a hurry, or rather to comprehend anything of peculiardelicacy or importance on a short notice. Wherefore, although thegood lady had been subjected to a full hour’s preparation by littleMiss La Creevy, and was now addressed in most lucid28 terms bothby Nicholas and his sister, she was in a state of singularbewilderment and confusion, and could by no means be made tocomprehend the necessity of such hurried proceedings29.
‘Why don’t you ask your uncle, my dear Nicholas, what he canpossibly mean by it?’ said Mrs Nickleby.
‘My dear mother,’ returned Nicholas, ‘the time for talking hasgone by. There is but one step to take, and that is to cast him offwith the scorn and indignation he deserves. Your own honour andgood name demand that, after the discovery of his vileproceedings, you should not be beholden to him one hour, even for the shelter of these bare walls.’
‘To be sure,’ said Mrs Nickleby, crying bitterly, ‘he is a brute30, amonster; and the walls are very bare, and want painting too, and Ihave had this ceiling whitewashed31 at the expense of eighteen-pence, which is a very distressing32 thing, considering that it is somuch gone into your uncle’s pocket. I never could have believedit—never.’
‘Nor I, nor anybody else,’ said Nicholas.
‘Lord bless my life!’ exclaimed Mrs Nickleby. ‘To think that thatSir Mulberry Hawk should be such an abandoned wretch33 as MissLa Creevy says he is, Nicholas, my dear; when I wascongratulating myself every day on his being an admirer of ourdear Kate’s, and thinking what a thing it would be for the family ifhe was to become connected with us, and use his interest to getyou some profitable government place. There are very good placesto be got about the court, I know; for a friend of ours (MissCropley, at Exeter, my dear Kate, you recollect), he had one, and Iknow that it was the chief part of his duty to wear silk stockings,and a bag wig34 like a black watch-pocket; and to think that itshould come to this after all—oh, dear, dear, it’s enough to kill one,that it is!’ With which expressions of sorrow, Mrs Nickleby gavefresh vent35 to her grief, and wept piteously.
As Nicholas and his sister were by this time compelled tosuperintend the removal of the few articles of furniture, Miss LaCreevy devoted36 herself to the consolation37 of the matron, andobserved with great kindness of manner that she must really makean effort, and cheer up.
‘Oh I dare say, Miss La Creevy,’ returned Mrs Nickleby, with apetulance not unnatural38 in her unhappy circumstances, ‘it’s very easy to say cheer up, but if you had as many occasions to cheer upas I have had—and there,’ said Mrs Nickleby, stopping short.
‘Think of Mr Pyke and Mr Pluck, two of the most perfectgentlemen that ever lived, what am I too say to them—what can Isay to them? Why, if I was to say to them, “I’m told your friend SirMulberry is a base wretch,” they’d laugh at me.’
‘They will laugh no more at us, I take it,’ said Nicholas,advancing. ‘Come, mother, there is a coach at the door, and untilMonday, at all events, we will return to our old quarters.’
‘—Where everything is ready, and a hearty39 welcome into thebargain,’ added Miss La Creevy. ‘Now, let me go with youdownstairs.’
But Mrs Nickleby was not to be so easily moved, for first sheinsisted on going upstairs to see that nothing had been left, andthen on going downstairs to see that everything had been takenaway; and when she was getting into the coach she had a vision ofa forgotten coffee-pot on the back-kitchen hob, and after she wasshut in, a dismal40 recollection of a green umbrella behind someunknown door. At last Nicholas, in a condition of absolute despair,ordered the coachman to drive away, and in the unexpected jerkof a sudden starting, Mrs Nickleby lost a shilling among the straw,which fortunately confined her attention to the coach until it wastoo late to remember anything else.
Having seen everything safely out, discharged the servant, andlocked the door, Nicholas jumped into a cabriolet and drove to abye place near Golden Square where he had appointed to meetNoggs; and so quickly had everything been done, that it wasbarely half-past nine when he reached the place of meeting.
‘Here is the letter for Ralph,’ said Nicholas, ‘and here the key.
When you come to me this evening, not a word of last night. Illnews travels fast, and they will know it soon enough. Have youheard if he was much hurt?’
Newman shook his head.
‘I will ascertain41 that myself without loss of time,’ said Nicholas.
‘You had better take some rest,’ returned Newman. ‘You arefevered and ill.’
Nicholas waved his hand carelessly, and concealing42 theindisposition he really felt, now that the excitement which hadsustained him was over, took a hurried farewell of NewmanNoggs, and left him.
Newman was not three minutes’ walk from Golden Square, butin the course of that three minutes he took the letter out of his hatand put it in again twenty times at least. First the front, then theback, then the sides, then the superscription, then the seal, wereobjects of Newman’s admiration43. Then he held it at arm’s lengthas if to take in the whole at one delicious survey, and then herubbed his hands in a perfect ecstasy44 with his commission.
He reached the office, hung his hat on its accustomed peg45, laidthe letter and key upon the desk, and waited impatiently untilRalph Nickleby should appear. After a few minutes, the well-known creaking of his boots was heard on the stairs, and then thebell rung.
‘Has the post come in?’
‘No.’
‘Any other letters?’
‘One.’ Newman eyed him closely, and laid it on the desk.
‘What’s this?’ asked Ralph, taking up the key.
‘Left with the letter;—a boy brought them—quarter of an hour ago, or less.’
Ralph glanced at the direction, opened the letter, and read asfollows:—‘You are known to me now. There are no reproaches I couldheap upon your head which would carry with them onethousandth part of the grovelling46 shame that this assurance willawaken even in your breast.
‘Your brother’s widow and her orphan47 child spurn48 the shelterof your roof, and shun49 you with disgust and loathing50. Your kindredrenounce you, for they know no shame but the ties of blood whichbind them in name with you.
‘You are an old man, and I leave you to the grave. May everyrecollection of your life cling to your false heart, and cast theirdarkness on your death-bed.’
Ralph Nickleby read this letter twice, and frowning heavily, fellinto a fit of musing51; the paper fluttered from his hand and droppedupon the floor, but he clasped his fingers, as if he held it still.
Suddenly, he started from his seat, and thrusting it allcrumpled into his pocket, turned furiously to Newman Noggs, asthough to ask him why he lingered. But Newman stood unmoved,with his back towards him, following up, with the worn andblackened stump52 of an old pen, some figures in an Interest-tablewhich was pasted against the wall, and apparently53 quiteabstracted from every other object.
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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jot
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| n.少量；vi.草草记下；vt.匆匆写下 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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corroborated
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| v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的过去式 ) | |
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gleaned
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| v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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lodgers
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| n.房客，租住者( lodger的名词复数 ) | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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functionary
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| n.官员；公职人员 | |
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glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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propounded
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| v.提出（问题、计划等）供考虑[讨论]，提议( propound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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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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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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clenching
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的现在分词 ) | |
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opportunely
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| adv.恰好地，适时地 | |
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lucid
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| adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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whitewashed
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| 粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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grovelling
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| adj.卑下的，奴颜婢膝的v.卑躬屈节，奴颜婢膝( grovel的现在分词 )；趴 | |
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orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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spurn
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| v.拒绝，摈弃；n.轻视的拒绝；踢开 | |
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shun
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| vt.避开，回避，避免 | |
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50
loathing
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| n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢 | |
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musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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