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With that, the good soul fell to crying afresh, and, endeavouring to recover herself, tried to laugh. The laugh and the cry, meeting each other thus abruptly, had a struggle for the mastery; the result was, that it was a drawn battle, and Miss La Creevy went into hysterics.
Though little Miss La Creevy's indignation was not so singularly displayed as Newman's, it was scarcely inferior in violence and intensity. Indeed, if Ralph Nickleby had happened to make his appearance in the room at that moment, there is some doubt whether he would not have found Miss La Creevy a more dangerous opponent than even Newman Noggs himself.
So saying, little Miss La Creevy hid her face in a very flat bonnet, and herself in a very big shawl; and fixing herself tightly into the latter, by means of a large pin, declared that the omnibus might come as soon as it pleased, for she was quite ready.
'I saw nothing of him, answered Miss La Creevy; 'but I saw that dear old soul Mr Linkinwater. 'Taking his evening walk, and coming on to rest here, before he turns back to the city, I'll be bound! said Mrs Nickleby. 'I should think he was, returned Miss La Creevy; 'especially as young Mr Cheeryble was with him. 'Surely that is no reason why Mr Linkinwater should be coming here, said Kate.
Yes it did, Miss La Creevy replied. The upper part of the house belonged to her, and as she had no necessity for the second-floor rooms just then, she was in the habit of letting them. Indeed, there was a lady from the country and her two children in them, at that present speaking. 'A widow, ma'am? said Ralph. 'Yes, she is a widow, replied the lady.
Miss La Creevy, who was a member of the little council, ventured to insinuate some doubts relative to the probability of Miss Nickleby's arriving at this happy consummation in the compass of an ordinary lifetime; but the good lady set that question entirely at rest, by informing them that she had a presentiment on the subject a species of second-sight with which she had been in the habit of clenching every argument with the deceased Mr Nickleby, and, in nine cases and three-quarters out of every ten, determining it the wrong way.
How long have they taken these lodgings for? 'Only from week to week, replied Miss La Creevy. 'Mrs Nickleby paid the first week in advance. 'Then you had better get them out at the end of it, said Ralph. 'They can't do better than go back to the country, ma'am; they are in everybody's way here.
'So I suppose, observed Miss La Creevy; 'but he won't find me at home, for I'll go straight to the city the instant you leave me, make up matters with Mrs Nickleby, and take her away to the theatre, so that he may not even know where his sister lives. Upon further discussion, this appeared the safest and most feasible mode of proceeding that could possibly be adopted.
It took some little time to reassure Miss La Creevy, who had been almost frightened out of her senses by this remarkable demonstration; but that done, Newman faithfully related all that had passed in the interview between Kate and her uncle, prefacing his narrative with a statement of his previous suspicions on the subject, and his reasons for forming them; and concluding with a communication of the step he had taken in secretly writing to Nicholas.
With this stipulation, Mrs Nickleby, who was troubled, night and day, with a vision of a hot messenger tearing up to the door to announce that Nicholas had been taken into partnership, quitted that branch of the subject, and entered upon a new one. 'It's a very extraordinary thing, she said, 'a most extraordinary thing, that they should have invited Miss La Creevy.
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