there would be in having
sons at all, unless people could put confidence in them.'

Nicholas stopped in the middle of a sleepy yawn, as his mother began to
speak: and looked at her with fixed attention.

'There was a lady in our neighbourhood,' said Mrs Nickleby, 'speaking
of sons puts me in mind of it--a lady in our neighbourhood when we lived
near Dawlish, I think her name was Rogers; indeed I am sure it was if it
wasn't Murphy, which is the only doubt I have--'

'Is it about her, mother, that you wished to speak to me?' said Nicholas
quietly.

'About HER!' cried Mrs Nickleby. 'Good gracious, Nicholas, my dear, how
CAN you be so ridiculous! But that was always the way with your poor
dear papa,--just his way--always wandering, never able to fix his
thoughts on any one subject for two minutes together. I think I see him
now!' said Mrs Nickleby, wiping her eyes, 'looking at me while I was
talking to him about his affairs, just as if his ideas were in a state
of perfect conglomeration! Anybody who had come in upon us suddenly,
would have supposed I was confusing and distracting him instead of
making things plainer; upon my word they would.'

'I am very sorry, mother, that I should inherit this unfortunate
slowness of apprehension,' said Nicholas, kindly; 'but I'll do my best
to understand you, if you'll only go straight on: indeed I will.'

'Your poor pa!' said Mrs Nickleby, pondering. 'He never knew, till it
was too late, what I would have had him do!'

This was undoubtedly the case, inasmuch as the deceased Mr Nickleby had
not arrived at the knowledge. Then he died. Neither had Mrs Nickleby
herself; which is, in some sort, an explanation of the circumstance.

'However,' said Mrs Nickleby, drying her tears, 'this has nothing to
do--certainly nothing whatever to do--with the gentleman in the next
house.'

'I should suppose that the gentleman in the next house has as little to
do with us,' returned Nicholas.

'There can be no doubt,' said Mrs Nickleby, 'that he IS a gentleman,
and has the manners of a gentleman, and the appearance of a gentleman,
although he does wear smalls and grey worsted stockings. That may
be eccentricity, or he may be proud of his legs. I don't see why he
shouldn't be. The Prince Regent was proud of his legs, and so was Daniel
Lambert, who was also a fat man; HE was proud of his legs. So was Miss
Biffin: she was--no,' added Mrs Nickleby, correcting, herself, 'I think
she had only toes, bu