r young again! Eh, brother Ned, eh? Why, I recollect old Tim
Linkinwater quite a little boy, don't you? Ha, ha, ha! Poor Tim, poor
Tim!'

And the fine old fellows laughed pleasantly together: each with a tear
of regard for old Tim Linkinwater standing in his eye.

'But hear this first--hear this first, brother Ned,' said the old man,
hastily, placing two chairs, one on each side of Nicholas: 'I'll tell it
you myself, brother Ned, because the young gentleman is modest, and is
a scholar, Ned, and I shouldn't feel it right that he should tell us
his story over and over again as if he was a beggar, or as if we doubted
him. No, no no.'

'No, no, no,' returned the other, nodding his head gravely. 'Very right,
my dear brother, very right.'

'He will tell me I'm wrong, if I make a mistake,' said Nicholas's
friend. 'But whether I do or not, you'll be very much affected, brother
Ned, remembering the time when we were two friendless lads, and earned
our first shilling in this great city.'

The twins pressed each other's hands in silence; and in his own homely
manner, brother Charles related the particulars he had heard from
Nicholas. The conversation which ensued was a long one, and when it was
over, a secret conference of almost equal duration took place between
brother Ned and Tim Linkinwater in another room. It is no disparagement
to Nicholas to say, that before he had been closeted with the two
brothers ten minutes, he could only wave his hand at every fresh
expression of kindness and sympathy, and sob like a little child.

At length brother Ned and Tim Linkinwater came back together, when Tim
instantly walked up to Nicholas and whispered in his ear in a very brief
sentence (for Tim was ordinarily a man of few words), that he had taken
down the address in the Strand, and would call upon him that evening,
at eight. Having done which, Tim wiped his spectacles and put them on,
preparatory to hearing what more the brothers Cheeryble had got to say.

'Tim,' said brother Charles, 'you understand that we have an intention
of taking this young gentleman into the counting-house?'

Brother Ned remarked that Tim was aware of that intention, and quite
approved of it; and Tim having nodded, and said he did, drew himself up
and looked particularly fat, and very important. After which, there was
a profound silence.

'I'm not coming an hour later in the morning, you know,' said Tim,
breaking out all at once, and looking very resolut