fifty miles from London and had very little
money. Snow was falling and for that night he took refuge in an empty
barn. In the morning he awoke, startled, to see a figure sitting by him.
It was Smike, who had followed him.

The poor creature fell on his knees. "Let me go with you!" he cried. "I
want no clothes and I can beg my food. I will be your faithful servant.
Only let me go with you."

"And so you shall!" said Nicholas. "Come!" He rose, took up his bundle,
gave his hand to Smike and so they set out toward London together.

II

NICHOLAS BECOMES AN ACTOR

Meanwhile Ralph Nickleby, the money-lender, had given Kate and her
mother leave to live in a rickety, unoccupied house which he owned. It
was a dingy building on an old wharf, but Noggs, the clerk, himself
cleaned and furnished one of its rooms so that it was fairly
comfortable. When they were settled Ralph took Kate to a dressmaker's,
where he got her a situation, hoping thus they would not call on him for
any money.

The dressmaker called herself Madame Mantalini. Her real name was
Muntle, but she thought the other sounded better. Her husband was a
plump, lazy man with huge side-whiskers, who spent most of the time
curling them and betting on horse-races. He gambled away all the money
Madame Mantalini made, but he pretended to be terribly fond of her, and
was always calling her his "little fairy" and his "heart's delight," so
that the silly woman always forgave him. He tried to kiss Kate the first
day, which made her detest him.

At Madame Mantalini's Kate had to stand up all day trying on dresses for
rich ladies, who were often rude to her. And because they preferred to
be waited on by the pretty, rosy-cheeked girl, Miss Knag, the ugly
forewoman, hated the child, and did all she could to make her unhappy.

Kate's mother used to wait each evening on the street corner outside,
and they would walk home together. They had no idea what trouble
Nicholas was having all this time, because he had written them such
cheerful letters, and whenever they felt sadder than usual they would
comfort themselves by thinking how well he was getting along and what a
fine position he had.

If they could have seen him when he finally got to London after running
away from Dotheboys Hall, they would hardly have known him. Both he and
poor Smike were hungry and muddy and tired. Remembering Noggs's kind
letter, Nicholas went first to the little garret where the clerk lived,
a