"Nickleby," said his client, throwing himself along the sofa on which he had been previously seated, so as to bring his lips nearer to the old man's ear, "what a pretty creature your niece is!" — Chap. XXVI. Fred Barnard's twenty-fourth illustration for Dickens's "Nicholas Nickleby" (1875)

"Nickleby," said his client, throwing himself along the sofa on which he had been previously seated, so as to bring his lips nearer to the old man's ear, "what a pretty creature your niece is!" — Chap. XXVI, p. 169, from the Household Edition of Charles Dickens's The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, illustrated by Fred Barnard with fifty-nine composite woodblock engravings (1875). 10.7 cm high by 13.8 cm wide (4 ¼ by 5 ½ inches). Running head: "The Catspaw" (169). [Click on the illustrations to enlarge them.]

Passage Illustrated: Lord Frederick Verisopht confesses his infatuation to Ralph Nickleby

They found Ralph at home, and alone. As he led them into the drawing-room, the recollection of the scene which had taken place there seemed to occur to him, for he cast a curious look at Sir Mulberry, who bestowed upon it no other acknowledgment than a careless smile.

They had a short conference upon some money matters then in progress, which were scarcely disposed of when the lordly dupe (in pursuance of his friend’s instructions) requested with some embarrassment to speak to Ralph alone.

"Alone, eh?’ cried Sir Mulberry, affecting surprise. "Oh, very good. I’ll walk into the next room here. Don’t keep me long, that’s all."

So saying, Sir Mulberry took up his hat, and humming a fragment of a song disappeared through the door of communication between the two drawing-rooms, and closed it after him.

"Now, my lord," said Ralph, "what is it?"

"Nickleby," said his client, throwing himself along the sofa on which he had been previously seated, so as to bring his lips nearer to the old man’s ear, "what a pretty creature your niece is!"

"Is she, my lord?" replied Ralph. "Maybe — maybe — I don’t trouble my head with such matters."

"You know she’s a deyvlish fine girl,’ said the client. "You must know that, Nickleby. Come, don’t deny that."

"Yes, I believe she is considered so," replied Ralph. "Indeed, I know she is. If I did not, you are an authority on such points, and your taste, my lord — on all points, indeed — is undeniable."

Nobody but the young man to whom these words were addressed could have been deaf to the sneering tone in which they were spoken, or blind to the look of contempt by which they were accompanied. [Chapter XXVI, "Is fraught with some Danger to Miss Nickleby’s Peace of Mind," 168]

Commentary: Ralph placed in an awkward position by his "client"

The indolent and gullible young aristocrat Lord Frederick Verisopht casually reclines full length on Ralph's chaise-lounge as he confesses his infatuation for Kate Nickleby to her uncle. Even Ralph is brought up short by the youth's request for personal information about Kate, notably her home address. Verisoopht recognizes that Sir Mulberry Hawk, waiting in the adjoining room, is his romantic rival, and is trying to gain some advantage over him in their competitive pursuit of the girl.

All that Dickens indicates about the physical setting of this conversation is that it occurs in Ralph Nickleby's drawing-room, and that Sir Mulberry has "disappeared through the door of communication between the two drawing-rooms" (168). Although the artist does not show the door, Barnard hints at the opulence of the room, showing a sumptuous chaise-lounge, padded armchair, a large, ornately framed painting, and two smaller canvases. Whereas Ralph wears a somewhat old-fashioned coat and boots, the young lord, indolently lounging on the chaise, wears fitted stirrup-trousers, fashionable waistcoat, and cutaway jacket. Again in the fashion of London in the late 1830s, he carries a cane and a silk topper. Barnard effectively and economically contrasts the middle-aged, plotting uncle and the disingenuous young client through such details as Ralph's serious expression, wrinkled face and balding head, all of which contrasts the smooth cheeks, youthful good looks, and luxuriant hair of the young nobleman.

Other Editions' Versions of Lord Frederick Verisopht and His Cronies

Left: Phiz introduces Kate and readers to Ralph Nickleby's dissolute associates: Miss Nickleby Introduced toher Uncle's Friends (September 1838). Right: Phiz's encore for the libertines: Affectionate Behaviour of Messrs. Pyke and Pluck (December 1838).

Left: Sol Eytinge, Jr.'s portrait of Sir Mulberry and his followers: Hawk, Verisopht, Pyke, and Pluck (1867). Centre: C. S. Reinhart's 1875 American Household Editioncomposite woodblock engraving of Sir Mulberry Hawk's unwanted advances: "Unhand me, Sir, this instant!" cried Kate. Right: Harry Furniss's 1910 lithograph representing the same scene, Sir Mulberry Hawk insults Kate Nickleby, in the Charles Dickens Library Edition.

Related material, including front matter and sketches, by other illustrators

Scanned image, colour correction, sizing, caption, and commentary by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose, as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image, and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Bibliography

Barnard, J. "Fred" (il.). Charles Dickens's Nicholas Nickleby, with fifty-eight illustrations. The Works of Charles Dickens: The Household Edition. 22 vols. London: Chapman and Hall, 1875. Volume 15. Rpt. 1890.

Bentley, Nicolas, Michael Slater, and Nina Burgis. The Dickens Index. Oxford and New York: Oxford U. P., 1988.

Davis, Paul. Charles Dickens A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts On File, 1998.

Dickens, Charles. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. With fifty-two illustrations by C. S. Reinhart. The Household Edition. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1872. I.

__________. Nicholas Nickleby. With 39 illustrations by Hablot K. Browne ("Phiz"). London: Chapman & Hall, 1839.

__________. Nicholas Nickleby. Illustrated by Harry Furniss. The Charles Dickens Library Edition. 18 vols. London: Educational Book, 1910. Vol. 4.

__________. "Nicholas Nickleby." Scenes and Characters from the Works of Charles Dickens, being eight hundred and sixty-six drawings by Fred Barnard et al.. Household Edition. London: Chapman and Hall, 1908.

Created 5 August 2021