The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-01
HE NOTICED A ! ''BENEvOLENT LOOK
 ING OLD GENTLEnAN Also TWENTY REGARDING THEr

but very nearly so and dishgured fal i life.
 | Nicholas was injured but not serious l ly. and soon as he recovered himself he returned to Newman Noggss guar l ters. He told hastily what had hap
 pened and Newman in return told hin the name of the man whom he had as saulted and the reason of his recalling
 him to London
 Ralph Niclleby. for his own purposes
 had introduced young Lord Verisopht and Sir Mulberry Hawk two rakes t.
 whom he loaned money at fat rates, tc l Kate. The young lord was a simple fel. l low and Ralph and Sir Mulberry were | pluclling him, the money lender incident | ly winding his tolls around Sir Mulberry The old rascal was using the innocent l charms of Kate to bind the two mer l closer to him. He had said, when theii attentions to his niece had been partic-
 ularly outrageous. "Phooi What of It. | The girl can take care of herself. Nc
 real harm will come to her.
 Kate had tried in vain to escape from | the prosecutions of her uncles clients and had become terrified at the tolls III
 which she felt herself becoming en- meshed when Newman had summoned | Nicholas to London.
 The Mantalini establishment having | failed when Ralph stopped lending Il
 
 1 certain lady of fashion, Mrs. Wititter- ly. Nicholas repaired there early the next morning. when he had entirely Ie- covered from his experience of the pre- | ceding night. "I have been so unhappy dear brother" sobbed Kate when she saw him. "Oh, take me away from here Do not leave me again"
 'I will leave you never again, Kate l said Nicholas In short order the young l man informed Kate's fashionab ble employ | CT that his sister would depart imme- 1 diately, and walked off with her. Then | getting his mother. who was much hus- tered by all these happenings. and in- | forming her that none of them could any | longer inhabit a house belonging to Ralph Niclleby, he bestowed hls family ] in the lodgings over little Miss La Cree l yys miniature-shop, the same lodgings 1 they had occupied when they first came | to London.
 ITlighty, good hearted little Miss La | Creevy was delighted to have them there again, and called old Ralph a brute to l her hearts content. Nicholas had d vlo- | lent scene with his uncle. of course, and | the old money lender made dire threats | which did not disturb Nicholas at all And now behold Nicholas with his mother and sister and Smike to support | only q few pounds left, no position ana | no friends able to help him.
 Again he began the heart-breakine l search for employment. One day, as Inc stood looking at the cards displayed iu l the window Of an employment agency | he noticed benevolent looking old gen l tleman also intently regarding them. f,e | was such an open-hearted. kind old gen 1 tleman that Nicholas ventured to accos' | him and to ask if he knew of any en l ployrnent q young man like himself might obtain. There was somethint l, about the gentleman that so inspired con 1 fidence that the first thing Nicholas l knew he had revealed to him his entire l story.
 The old gentleman was Charles Cheery i ble. and before the interview ended ht | had obtained a position as clerk to th' | brothers Charles and Ned, whose ole 1 clerk, Tim Linkinwater, was getting along in years. and, as Brother Charles said: Really. now. did need assistance | though they would not have him thini so for the world. Tim was such terri 1 ble fellow if he took a notion" 1 There was a little house at Bow be | longing to the Cheeryble brothers, whicl 1 they let to Nicholas for a nominal rent l and there he established his family l There Smike tended the garden ant l worshipped Kate. worshipped her witi ] fond wlstfulness as a devotee migh ! worship a saint into whose companion ship he could never expect to obtain ad
 mittance It was just blind, hopeless