Wherefore, although the good lady had been subjected to a full hour's preparation by little Miss La Creevy, and was now addressed in most lucid terms both by Nicholas and his sister, she was in a state of singular bewilderment and confusion, and could by no means be made to comprehend the necessity of such hurried proceedings.
'Why don't you ask your uncle, my dear Nicholas, what he can possibly mean by it ?' said Mrs Nickleby.
'My dear mother,' returned Nicholas, 'the time for talking has gone by.

There is but one step to take, and that is to cast him off with the scorn and indignation he deserves.

Your own honour and good name demand that, after the discovery of his vile proceedings, you should not be beholden to him one hour, even for the shelter of these bare walls.' 'To be sure,' said Mrs Nickleby, crying bitterly, 'he is a brute, a monster; and the walls are very bare, and want painting too, and I have had this ceiling whitewashed at the expense of eighteen-pence, which is a very distressing thing, considering that it is so much gone into your uncle's pocket.

I never could have believed it--never.' 'Nor I, nor anybody else,' said Nicholas.
'Lord bless my life!' exclaimed Mrs Nickleby.

'To think that that Sir Mulberry Hawk should be such an abandoned wretch as Miss La Creevy says he is, Nicholas, my dear; when I was congratulating myself every day on his being an admirer of our dear Kate's, and thinking what a thing it would be for the family if he was to become connected with us, and use his interest to get you some profitable government place.