|
Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
||||
 |
||||
|
Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
||||
|
|
||||
526 merciful Providence (thus spake Sir Tumley), Mrs Wititterly had gone to sleep. She then hastily attired herself for walking, and leaving word that she should return within a couple of hours, hurried away towards her uncle’s house. It had been a good day with Ralph Nickleby--quite a lucky day; and as he walked to and fro in his little back-room with his hands clasped behind him, adding up in his own mind all the sums that had been, or would be, netted from the business done since morning, his mouth was drawn into a hard stern smile; while the firmness of the lines and curves that made it up, as well as the cunning glance of his cold, bright eye, seemed to tell, that if any resolution or cunning would increase the profits, they would not fail to be excited for the purpose. ‘Very good!’ said Ralph, in allusion, no doubt, to some proceeding of the day. ‘He defies the usurer, does he? Well, we shall see. “Honesty is the best policy,” is it? We’ll try that too.’ He stopped, and then walked on again. ‘He is content,’ said Ralph, relaxing into a smile, ‘to set his known character and conduct against the power of money--dross, as he calls it. Why, what a dull blockhead this fellow must be! Dross to, dross! Who’s that?’ ‘Me,’ said Newman Noggs, looking in. ‘Your niece.’ ‘What of her?’ asked Ralph sharply. ‘She’s here.’ ‘Here!’ Newman jerked his head towards his little room, to signify that she was waiting there. ‘What does she want?’ asked Ralph. ‘I don’t know,’ rejoined Newman. ‘Shall I ask?’ he added |
