第265章

if I am the unfortunate cause of this, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I am not to blame. I told Nicholas--I said to him, "Nicholas, my dear, we should be very careful how we proceed." He would scarcely hear me. If the matter had only been properly taken up at first, as I wished it to be--But you are both of you so like your poor papa. However, I have my consolation, and that should be enough for me!'

Washing her hands, thus, of all responsibility under this head, past, present, or to come, Mrs Nickleby kindly added that she hoped her children might never have greater cause to reproach themselves than she had, and prepared herself to receive the escort, who soon returned with the intelligence that the old gentleman was safely housed, and that they found his custodians, who had been making merry with some friends, wholly ignorant of his absence.

Quiet being again restored, a delicious half-hour--so Frank called it, in the course of subsequent conversation with Tim Linkinwater as they were walking home--a delicious half-hour was spent in conversation, and Tim's watch at length apprising him that it was high time to depart, the ladies were left alone, though not without many offers on the part of Frank to remain until Nicholas arrived, no matter what hour of the night it might be, if, after the late neighbourly irruption they entertained the least fear of being left to themselves. As their freedom from all further apprehension, however, left no pretext for his insisting on mounting guard, he was obliged to abandon the citadel, and to retire with the trusty Tim.

Nearly three hours of silence passed away. Kate blushed to find, when Nicholas returned, how long she had been sitting alone, occupied with her own thoughts.

`I really thought it had not been half an hour,' she said.

`They must have been pleasant thoughts, Kate,' rejoined Nicholas gaily, `to make time pass away like that. What were they now?'

Kate was confused; she toyed with some trifle on the table--looked up and smiled--looked down and dropped a tear.

`Why, Kate,' said Nicholas, drawing his sister towards him and kissing her, `let me see your face. No? Ah! that was but a glimpse; that's scarcely fair. A longer look than that, Kate. Come--and I'll read your thoughts for you.'

There was something in this proposition, albeit it was said without the slightest consciousness or application, which so alarmed his sister, that Nicholas laughingly changed the subject to domestic matters, and thus gathered, by degrees, as they left the room and went upstairs together, how lonely Smike had been all night--and by very slow degrees, too; for on this subject also, Kate seemed to speak with some reluctance.

`Poor fellow,' said Nicholas, tapping gently at his door, `what can be the cause of all this?'

Kate was hanging on her brother's arm. The door being quickly opened, she had not time to disengage herself, before Smike, very pale and haggard, and completely dressed, confronted them.

`And have you not been to bed?' said Nicholas.

`N--n--no,' was the reply.

Nicholas gently detained his sister, who made an effort to retire; and asked, `Why not?'

`I could not sleep,' said Smike, grasping the hand which his friend extended to him.

`You are not well?' rejoined Nicholas.

`I am better, indeed--a great deal better,' said Smike quickly.

`Then why do you give way to these fits of melancholy?' inquired Nicholas, in his kindest manner; `or why not tell us the cause? You grow a different creature, Smike.'

`I do; I know I do,' he replied. `I will tell you the reason one day, but not now. I hate myself for this; you are all so good and kind. But I cannot help it. My heart is very full;--you do not know how full it is.'

He wrung Nicholas's hand before he released it; and glancing, for a moment, at the brother and sister as they stood together, as if there were something in their strong affection which touched him very deeply, withdrew into his chamber, and was soon the only watcher under that quiet roof.