第135章

Now, the truth was, that in the interval which had elapsed since the dinner at Ralph Nickleby's, Sir Mulberry Hawk had been furtively trying by every means in his power to discover whence Kate had so suddenly appeared, and whither she had disappeared. Unassisted by Ralph, however, with whom he had held no communication since their angry parting on that occasion, all his efforts were wholly unavailing, and he had therefore arrived at the determination of communicating to the young lord the substance of the admission he had gleaned from that worthy. To this he was impelled by various considerations; among which the certainty of knowing whatever the weak young man knew was decidedly not the least, as the desire of encountering the usurer's niece again, and using his utmost arts to reduce her pride, and revenge himself for her contempt, was uppermost in his thoughts. It was a politic course of proceeding, and one which could not fail to redound to his advantage in every point of view, since the very circumstance of his having extorted from Ralph Nickleby his real design in introducing his niece to such society, coupled with his extreme disinterestedness in communicating it so freely to his friend, could not but advance his interests in that quarter, and greatly facilitate the passage of coin (pretty frequent and speedy already) from the pockets of Lord Frederick Verisopht to those of Sir Mulberry Hawk.

Thus reasoned Sir Mulberry, and in pursuance of this reasoning he and his friend soon afterwards repaired to Ralph Nickleby's, there to execute a plan of operations concerted by Sir Mulberry himself, avowedly to promote his friend's object, and really to attain his own.

They found Ralph at home, and alone. As he led them into the drawing-room, the recollection of the scene which had taken place there seemed to occur to him, for he cast a curious look at Sir Mulberry, who bestowed upon it no other acknowledgment than a careless smile.

They had a short conference upon some money matters then in progress, which were scarcely disposed of when the lordly dupe (in pursuance of his friend's instructions) requested with some embarrassment to speak to Ralph alone.

`Alone, eh?' cried Sir Mulberry, affecting surprise. `Oh, very good.

I'll walk into the next room here. Don't keep me long, that's all.'

So saying, Sir Mulberry took up his hat, and humming a fragment of a song disappeared through the door of communication between the two drawing-rooms, and closed it after him.

`Now, my lord,' said Ralph, `what is it?'

`Nickleby,' said his client, throwing himself along the sofa on which he had been previously seated, so as to bring his lips nearer to the old man's ear, `what a pretty creature your niece is!'

`Is she, my lord?' replied Ralph. `Maybe -- maybe -- I don't trouble my head with such matters.'

`You know she's a deyvlish fine girl,' said the client. `You must know that, Nickleby. Come, don't deny that.'

`Yes, I believe she is considered so,' replied Ralph. `Indeed, I know she is. If I did not, you are an authority on such points, and your taste, my lord -- on all points, indeed -- is undeniable.'

Nobody but the young man to whom these words were addressed could have been deaf to the sneering tone in which they were spoken, or blind to the look of contempt by which they were accompanied. But Lord Frederick Verisopht was both, and took them to be complimentary.

`Well,' he said, `p'raps you're a little right, and p'raps you're a little wrong -- a little of both, Nickleby. I want to know where this beauty lives, that I may have another peep at her, Nickleby.'

`Really--' Ralph began in his usual tones.

`Don't talk so loud,' cried the other, achieving the great point of his lesson to a miracle. `I don't want Hawk to hear.'

`You know he is your rival, do you?' said Ralph, looking sharply at him.

`He always is, d-a-amn him,' replied the client; `and I want to steal a march upon him. Ha, ha, ha! He'll cut up so rough, Nickleby, at our talking together without him. Where does she live, Nickleby, that's all? Only tell me where she lives, Nickleby.'

`He bites,' thought Ralph. `He bites.'

`Eh, Nickleby, eh?' pursued the client. `Where does she live?'

`Really, my lord,' said Ralph, rubbing his hands slowly over each other, `I must think before I tell you.'

`No, not a bit of it, Nickleby; you mustn't think at all,' replied Verisopht.

`Where is it?'

`No good can come of your knowing,' replied Ralph. `She has been virtuously and well brought up; to be sure she is handsome, poor, unprotected -- poor girl, poor girl.'

Ralph ran over this brief summary of Kate's condition as if it were merely passing through his own mind, and he had no intention to speak aloud;but the shrewd sly look which he directed at his companion as he delivered it, gave this poor assumption the lie.

`I tell you I only want to see her,' cried his client. `A ma-an may look at a pretty woman without harm, mayn't he? Now, where does she live? You know you're making a fortune out of me, Nickleby, and upon my soul nobody shall ever take me to anybody else, if you only tell me this.'

`As you promise that, my lord,' said Ralph, with feigned reluctance, `and as I am most anxious to oblige you, and as there's no harm in it --no harm -- I'll tell you. But you had better keep it to yourself, my lord;strictly to yourself.' Ralph pointed to the adjoining room as he spoke, and nodded expressively.

The young lord, feigning to be equally impressed with the necessity of this precaution, Ralph disclosed the present address and occupation of his niece, observing that from what he heard of the family they appeared very ambitious to have distinguished acquaintances, and that a lord could, doubtless, introduce himself with great ease, if he felt disposed.

`Your object being only to see her again,' said Ralph, `you could effect it at any time you chose by that means.'