Excerpt from my current reading
[Nicholas Nickleby has become assistant at an abusive boys' school under the headship of Mr. Wackford Squeers, whose daughter takes an interest in Nicholas...]
"...And so Miss Squeers made up her mind that she would take a personal observation of Nicholas the very next day.
In pursuance of this design, the young lady watched the opportunity of her mother being engaged and her father absent, and went accidentally into the schoolroom to get a pen mended; where, seeing nobody but Nicholas presiding over the boys, she blushed very deeply, and exhibited great confusion.
'I beg your pardon,' faltered Miss Squeers; 'I thought my father was -- or might be -- dear me, how very awkward!'
'Mr. Squeers is out,' said Nicholas, by no means overcome by the apparition, unexpected though it was.
'Do you know will he be long, sir?' asked Miss Squeers, with bashful hesitation.
'He said about an hour,' replied Nicholas -- politely, of course, but without any indication of being stricken to the heart by Miss Squeers's charms.
'I never knew anything happen so cross,' exclaimed the young lady. 'Thank you! I am very sorry I intruded, I am sure. If I hadn't thought my father was here, I wouldn't upon any account have -- it is very provoking -- must look so very strange,' murmured Miss Squeers, blushing once more, and glancing from the pen in her hand to Nicholas at his desk, and back again.
'If that is all you want,' said Nicholas, pointing to the pen and smiling, in spite of himself, at the affected embarrassment of the schoolmaster's daughter, 'perhaps I can supply his place.'
Miss Squeers glanced at the door, as if dubious of the propriety of advancing any nearer to an utter stranger; then round the schoolroom, as though in some measure reassured by the presence of forty boys; and finally sidled up to Nicholas and delivered the pen into his hand, with a most winning mixture of reserve and condescension.
'Shall it be a hard or soft nib?' inquired Nicholas, smiling to prevent himself from laughing outright.
'He has a beautiful smile,' thought Miss Squeers.
'Which did you say?' asked Nicholas.
'Dear me, I was thinking of something else for the moment, I declare,' replied Miss Squeers. 'Oh, as soft as possible, if you please.' With which words Miss Squeers sighed. It might be to give Nicholas to understand that her heart was soft, and that the pen was wanted to match.
Upon these instructions, Nicholas made the pen. When he gave it to Miss Squeers, Miss Squeers dropped it; and when he stooped to pick it up, Miss Squeers stooped also, and they knocked their heads together; whereat five-and-twenty little boys laughed aloud, being positively for the first and only time that half-year.
'Very awkward of me,' said Nicholas, opening the door for the young lady's retreat.
'Not at all, sir,' replied Miss Squeers; 'it was my fault. It was all my foolish -- a --a -- good morning!'
'Good-bye,' said Nicholas. 'The next I make for you I hope will be made less clumsily. Take care! You are biting the nib off now.'
'Really,' said Miss Squeers; 'so embarrassing that I scarcely know what I -- very sorry to give you so much trouble.'
'Not the least trouble in the world,' replied Nicholas, closing the schoolroom door.
'I never saw such legs in the whole course of my life!' said Miss Squeers, as she walked away."
--Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, originally published 1838-39
"...And so Miss Squeers made up her mind that she would take a personal observation of Nicholas the very next day.
In pursuance of this design, the young lady watched the opportunity of her mother being engaged and her father absent, and went accidentally into the schoolroom to get a pen mended; where, seeing nobody but Nicholas presiding over the boys, she blushed very deeply, and exhibited great confusion.
'I beg your pardon,' faltered Miss Squeers; 'I thought my father was -- or might be -- dear me, how very awkward!'
'Mr. Squeers is out,' said Nicholas, by no means overcome by the apparition, unexpected though it was.
'Do you know will he be long, sir?' asked Miss Squeers, with bashful hesitation.
'He said about an hour,' replied Nicholas -- politely, of course, but without any indication of being stricken to the heart by Miss Squeers's charms.
'I never knew anything happen so cross,' exclaimed the young lady. 'Thank you! I am very sorry I intruded, I am sure. If I hadn't thought my father was here, I wouldn't upon any account have -- it is very provoking -- must look so very strange,' murmured Miss Squeers, blushing once more, and glancing from the pen in her hand to Nicholas at his desk, and back again.
'If that is all you want,' said Nicholas, pointing to the pen and smiling, in spite of himself, at the affected embarrassment of the schoolmaster's daughter, 'perhaps I can supply his place.'
Miss Squeers glanced at the door, as if dubious of the propriety of advancing any nearer to an utter stranger; then round the schoolroom, as though in some measure reassured by the presence of forty boys; and finally sidled up to Nicholas and delivered the pen into his hand, with a most winning mixture of reserve and condescension.
'Shall it be a hard or soft nib?' inquired Nicholas, smiling to prevent himself from laughing outright.
'He has a beautiful smile,' thought Miss Squeers.
'Which did you say?' asked Nicholas.
'Dear me, I was thinking of something else for the moment, I declare,' replied Miss Squeers. 'Oh, as soft as possible, if you please.' With which words Miss Squeers sighed. It might be to give Nicholas to understand that her heart was soft, and that the pen was wanted to match.
Upon these instructions, Nicholas made the pen. When he gave it to Miss Squeers, Miss Squeers dropped it; and when he stooped to pick it up, Miss Squeers stooped also, and they knocked their heads together; whereat five-and-twenty little boys laughed aloud, being positively for the first and only time that half-year.
'Very awkward of me,' said Nicholas, opening the door for the young lady's retreat.
'Not at all, sir,' replied Miss Squeers; 'it was my fault. It was all my foolish -- a --a -- good morning!'
'Good-bye,' said Nicholas. 'The next I make for you I hope will be made less clumsily. Take care! You are biting the nib off now.'
'Really,' said Miss Squeers; 'so embarrassing that I scarcely know what I -- very sorry to give you so much trouble.'
'Not the least trouble in the world,' replied Nicholas, closing the schoolroom door.
'I never saw such legs in the whole course of my life!' said Miss Squeers, as she walked away."
--Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, originally published 1838-39
Labels: books
posted by Laura at
9:48 AM
3 Comments:
Ah, the delightful Miss Squeers...
I thought the first description of Mr. Squeers was hilarious. He's despicable, yes, but the way Dickens describes him is great!
Hee hee. I saw the movie, but I've never read the book. Let me know if you think its a keeper! :)
Yes, Serena, I loved this line: "Mr. Squeers's appearance was not prepossessing. He had but one eye, and the popular prejudice runs in favor of two." LOL!!
Lauren Christine, I'm a little less than halfway through, but I'm very much enjoying it so far! Once I'm done, I think I'll see if I can get my hands on one of the movies.
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