 and day, with
a vision of a hot messenger tearing up to the door to announce that Nicholas had
been taken into partnership, quitted that branch of the subject, and entered
upon a new one.
    »It's a very extraordinary thing,« she said, »a most extraordinary thing,
that they should have invited Miss La Creevy. It quite astonishes me, upon my
word it does. Of course it's very pleasant that she should be invited, very
pleasant, and I have no doubt that she'll conduct herself extremely well; she
always does. It's very gratifying to think we should have been the means of
introducing her into such society, and I'm quite glad of it - quite rejoiced -
for she certainly is an exceedingly well-behaved and good-natured little person.
I could wish that some friend would mention to her how very badly she has her
cap trimmed, and what very preposterous bows those are, but of course that's
impossible, and if she likes to make a fright of herself, no doubt she has a
perfect right to do so. We never see ourselves - never do, and never did - and I
suppose we never shall.«
    This moral reflection reminding her of the necessity of being peculiarly
smart on the occasion, so as to counterbalance Miss La Creevy, and be herself an
effectual set-off and atonement, led Mrs. Nickleby into a consultation with her
daughter relative to certain ribands, gloves, and trimmings: which, being a
complicated question, and one of paramount importance, soon routed the previous
one, and put it to flight.
    The great day arriving, the good lady put herself under Kate's hands an hour
or so after breakfast, and, dressing by easy stages, completed her toilet in
sufficient time to allow of her daughter's making hers, which was very simple
and not very long, though so satisfactory that she had never appeared more
charming or looked more lovely. Miss La Creevy, too, arrived with two bandboxes
(whereof the bottoms fell out, as they were handed from the coach) and something
in a newspaper, which a gentleman had sat upon, coming down, and which was
obliged to be ironed again, before it was fit for service. At last, everybody
was dressed, including Nicholas who had come home to fetch them, and they went
away in a coach sent by the Brothers for the purpose: Mrs. Nickleby wondering
very much what they would have for dinner, and cross-examining Nicholas as to
the extent of his discoveries
