sometimes do, and tracing out the
little events by which it was most strongly marked, came at last to Miss
Cecilia Bobster.

'And that reminds me,' said Newman, 'that you never told me the young
lady's real name.'

'Madeline!' said Nicholas.

'Madeline!' cried Newman. 'What Madeline? Her other name. Say her other
name.'

'Bray,' said Nicholas, in great astonishment.

'It's the same!' cried Newman. 'Sad story! Can you stand idly by, and
let that unnatural marriage take place without one attempt to save her?'

'What do you mean?' exclaimed Nicholas, starting up; 'marriage! are you
mad?'

'Are you? Is she? Are you blind, deaf, senseless, dead?' said Newman.
'Do you know that within one day, by means of your uncle Ralph, she will
be married to a man as bad as he, and worse, if worse there is? Do you
know that, within one day, she will be sacrificed, as sure as you stand
there alive, to a hoary wretch--a devil born and bred, and grey in
devils' ways?'

'Be careful what you say,' replied Nicholas. 'For Heaven's sake be
careful! I am left here alone, and those who could stretch out a hand to
rescue her are far away. What is it that you mean?'

'I never heard her name,' said Newman, choking with his energy. 'Why
didn't you tell me? How was I to know? We might, at least, have had some
time to think!'

'What is it that you mean?' cried Nicholas.

It was not an easy task to arrive at this information; but, after a
great quantity of extraordinary pantomime, which in no way assisted it,
Nicholas, who was almost as wild as Newman Noggs himself, forced the
latter down upon his seat and held him down until he began his tale.

Rage, astonishment, indignation, and a storm of passions, rushed through
the listener's heart, as the plot was laid bare. He no sooner understood
it all, than with a face of ashy paleness, and trembling in every limb,
he darted from the house.

'Stop him!' cried Newman, bolting out in pursuit. 'He'll be doing
something desperate; he'll murder somebody. Hallo! there, stop him. Stop
thief! stop thief!'

CHAPTER 52

Nicholas despairs of rescuing Madeline Bray, but plucks up his Spirits
again, and determines to attempt it. Domestic Intelligence of the
Kenwigses and Lillyvicks

Finding that Newman was determined to arrest his progress at any hazard,
and apprehensive that some well-intentioned passenger, attracted by the
cry of 'Stop thief,' might lay violent hands upon his person, and
place