s La Creevy.

The person complied, and, coming forward at once, gave to view the form
and features of no less an individual than Mr Ralph Nickleby himself.

'Your servant, ladies,' said Ralph, looking sharply at them by turns.
'You were talking so loud, that I was unable to make you hear.'

When the man of business had a more than commonly vicious snarl lurking
at his heart, he had a trick of almost concealing his eyes under their
thick and protruding brows, for an instant, and then displaying them in
their full keenness. As he did so now, and tried to keep down the smile
which parted his thin compressed lips, and puckered up the bad lines
about his mouth, they both felt certain that some part, if not the
whole, of their recent conversation, had been overheard.

'I called in, on my way upstairs, more than half expecting to find you
here,' said Ralph, addressing his niece, and looking contemptuously at
the portrait. 'Is that my niece's portrait, ma'am?'

'Yes it is, Mr Nickleby,' said Miss La Creevy, with a very sprightly
air, 'and between you and me and the post, sir, it will be a very nice
portrait too, though I say it who am the painter.'

'Don't trouble yourself to show it to me, ma'am,' cried Ralph, moving
away, 'I have no eye for likenesses. Is it nearly finished?'

'Why, yes,' replied Miss La Creevy, considering with the pencil end of
her brush in her mouth. 'Two sittings more will--'

'Have them at once, ma'am,' said Ralph. 'She'll have no time to idle
over fooleries after tomorrow. Work, ma'am, work; we must all work. Have
you let your lodgings, ma'am?'

'I have not put a bill up yet, sir.'

'Put it up at once, ma'am; they won't want the rooms after this week,
or if they do, can't pay for them. Now, my dear, if you're ready, we'll
lose no more time.'

With an assumption of kindness which sat worse upon him even than his
usual manner, Mr Ralph Nickleby motioned to the young lady to precede
him, and bowing gravely to Miss La Creevy, closed the door and followed
upstairs, where Mrs Nickleby received him with many expressions of
regard. Stopping them somewhat abruptly, Ralph waved his hand with an
impatient gesture, and proceeded to the object of his visit.

'I have found a situation for your daughter, ma'am,' said Ralph.

'Well,' replied Mrs Nickleby. 'Now, I will say that that is only just
what I have expected of you. "Depend upon it," I said to Kate, only
yesterday morning at breakfast, "that after