 made a virtue of necessity, and nobly resigned what was beyond their reach;
as a private soldier might register a vow never to accept the order of the
Garter, or a poor curate of great piety and learning, but of no family - save a
very large family of children - might renounce a bishopric?
    Here was Nicholas Nickleby, who would have scorned the thought of counting
how the chances stood of his rising in favour or fortune with the brothers
Cheeryble, now that their nephew had returned, already deep in calculations
whether that same nephew was likely to rival him in the affections of the fair
unknown - discussing the matter with himself too, as gravely as if, with that
one exception, it were all settled; and recurring to the subject again and
again, and feeling quite indignant and ill-used at the notion of anybody else
making love to one with whom he had never exchanged a word in all his life. To
be sure, he exaggerated rather than depreciated the merits of his new
acquaintance; but still he took it as a kind of personal offence that he should
have any merits at all - in the eyes of this particular young lady, that is; for
elsewhere he was quite welcome to have as many as he pleased. There was
undoubted selfishness in all this, and yet Nicholas was of a most free and
generous nature, with as few mean or sordid thoughts, perhaps, as ever fell to
the lot of any man; and there is no reason to suppose that, being in love, he
felt and thought differently from other people in the like sublime condition.
    He did not stop to set on foot an inquiry into his train of thought or state
of feeling, however; but went thinking on all the way home, and continued to
dream on in the same strain all night. For, having satisfied himself that Frank
Cheeryble could have no knowledge of, or acquaintance with the mysterious young
lady, it began to occur to him that even he himself might never see her again;
upon which hypothesis he built up a very ingenious succession of tormenting
ideas which answered his purpose even better than the vision of Mr. Frank
Cheeryble, and tantalized and worried him, waking and sleeping.
    Notwithstanding all that has been said and sung to the contrary, there is no
well-established case of morning having either deferred or hastened its approach
by the term of an hour or so for the mere gratification of a splenetic feeling
against some unoffending lover; the sun having, in the discharge of his public
duty, as the books of precedent report, invariably risen according to the
