ished the little sitting-room, in
a style that certainly could not have failed to attract anybody's
attention, if Kate had not offered to spare her the trouble, and
arranged them in the prettiest and neatest manner possible. If the
cottage ever looked pretty, it must have been on such a bright and
sunshiny day as the next day was. But Smike's pride in the garden,
or Mrs Nickleby's in the condition of the furniture, or Kate's in
everything, was nothing to the pride with which Nicholas looked at Kate
herself; and surely the costliest mansion in all England might have
found in her beautiful face and graceful form its most exquisite and
peerless ornament.

About six o'clock in the afternoon Mrs Nickleby was thrown into a great
flutter of spirits by the long-expected knock at the door, nor was this
flutter at all composed by the audible tread of two pair of boots in the
passage, which Mrs Nickleby augured, in a breathless state, must be 'the
two Mr Cheerybles;' as it certainly was, though not the two Mrs Nickleby
expected, because it was Mr Charles Cheeryble, and his nephew, Mr Frank,
who made a thousand apologies for his intrusion, which Mrs Nickleby
(having tea-spoons enough and to spare for all) most graciously
received. Nor did the appearance of this unexpected visitor occasion
the least embarrassment, (save in Kate, and that only to the extent of
a blush or two at first,) for the old gentleman was so kind and cordial,
and the young gentleman imitated him in this respect so well, that the
usual stiffness and formality of a first meeting showed no signs of
appearing, and Kate really more than once detected herself in the very
act of wondering when it was going to begin.

At the tea-table there was plenty of conversation on a great variety of
subjects, nor were there wanting jocose matters of discussion, such as
they were; for young Mr Cheeryble's recent stay in Germany happening to
be alluded to, old Mr Cheeryble informed the company that the aforesaid
young Mr Cheeryble was suspected to have fallen deeply in love with
the daughter of a certain German burgomaster. This accusation young
Mr Cheeryble most indignantly repelled, upon which Mrs Nickleby slyly
remarked, that she suspected, from the very warmth of the denial, there
must be something in it. Young Mr Cheeryble then earnestly entreated old
Mr Cheeryble to confess that it was all a jest, which old Mr Cheeryble
at last did, young Mr Cheeryble being so much in earnes