I am afraid we are keeping you up very late, ma'am.' 'Late!' cried Mrs Nickleby, with a sharp thin laugh, and one little cough at the end, like a note of admiration expressed.

'This is quite early for us.

We used to keep such hours! Twelve, one, two, three o'clock was nothing to us.

Balls, dinners, card-parties! Never were such rakes as the people about where we used to live.

I often think now, I am sure, that how we ever could go through with it is quite astonishing, and that is just the evil of having a large connection and being a great deal sought after, which I would recommend all young married people steadily to resist; though of course, and it's perfectly clear, and a very happy thing too, I think, that very few young married people can be exposed to such temptations.