Charles Dickens · 1839
66 chapters · 321,127 words
Author’s Preface
Chapter I: Introduces All the Rest
Chapter II: Of Mr. Ralph Nickleby, and His Establishments, and His Undertakings, and of a Great Joint Stock Company of Vast National Importance
Chapter III: Mr. Ralph Nickleby Receives Sad Tidings of His Brother, but Bears Up Nobly Against the Intelligence Communicated to Him. The Reader Is Informed How He Liked Nicholas, Who Is Herein Introduced, and How Kindly He Proposed to Make His Fortune at Once
Chapter IV: Nicholas and His Uncle (to Secure the Fortune Without Loss of Time) Wait Upon Mr. Wackford Squeers, the Yorkshire Schoolmaster
Chapter V: Nicholas Starts for Yorkshire. Of His Leave-taking and His Fellow-Travellers, and What Befell Them on the Road
Chapter VI: In Which the Occurrence of the Accident Mentioned in the Last Chapter, Affords an Opportunity to a Couple of Gentlemen to Tell Stories Against Each Other
Chapter VII: Mr. and Mrs. Squeers at Home
Chapter VIII: Of the Internal Economy of Dotheboys Hall
Chapter IX: Of Miss Squeers, Mrs. Squeers, Master Squeers, and Mr. Squeers; and of Various Matters and Persons Connected No Less with the Squeerses than Nicholas Nickleby
Chapter X: How Mr. Ralph Nickleby Provided for His Niece and Sister-in-Law
Chapter XI: Newman Noggs Inducts Mrs. and Miss Nickleby into Their New Dwelling in the City
Chapter XII: Whereby the Reader Will Be Enabled to Trace the Further Course of Miss Fanny Squeer’s Love, and to Ascertain Whether It Ran Smooth or Otherwise
Chapter XIII: Nicholas Varies the Monotony of Dothebys Hall by a Most Vigorous and Remarkable Proceeding, Which Leads to Consequences of Some Importance
Chapter XIV: Having the Misfortune to Treat of None but Common People, Is Necessarily of a Mean and Vulgar Character
Chapter XV: Acquaints the Reader with the Cause and Origin of the Interruption Described in the Last Chapter, and with Some Other Matters Necessary to Be Known
Chapter XVI: Nicholas Seeks to Employ Himself in a New Capacity, and Being Unsuccessful, Accepts an Engagement as Tutor in a Private Family
Chapter XVII: Follows the Fortunes of Miss Nickleby
Chapter XVIII: Miss Knag, After Doting on Kate Nickleby for Three Whole Days, Makes Up Her Mind to Hate Her for Evermore. The Causes Which Led Miss Knag to Form This Resolution
Chapter XIX: Descriptive of a Dinner at Mr. Ralph Nickleby’s, and of the Manner in Which the Company Entertained Themselves, Before Dinner, at Dinner, and After Dinner
Chapter XX: Wherein Nicholas at Length Encounters His Uncle, to Whom He Expresses His Sentiments with Much Candour. His Resolution
Chapter XXI: Madam Mantalini Finds Herself in a Situation of Some Difficulty, and Miss Nickleby Finds Herself in No Situation at All
Chapter XXII: Nicholas, Accompanied by Smike, Sallies Forth to Seek His Fortune. He Encounters Mr. Vincent Crummles; and Who He Was, Is Herein Made Manifest
Chapter XXIII: Treats of the Company of Mr. Vincent Crummles, and of His Affairs, Domestic and Theatrical
Chapter XXIV: Of the Great Bespeak for Miss Snevellicci, and the First Appearance of Nicholas Upon Any Stage
Chapter XXV: Concerning a Young Lady from London, Who Joins the Company, and an Elderly Admirer Who Follows in Her Train; with an Affecting Ceremony Consequent on Their Arrival
Chapter XXVI: Is Fraught with Some Danger to Miss Nickleby’s Peace of Mind
Chapter XXVII: Mrs. Nickleby Becomes Acquainted with Messrs Pyke and Pluck, Whose Affection and Interest Are Beyond All Bounds
Chapter XXVIII: Miss Nickleby, Rendered Desperate by the Persecution of Sir Mulberry Hawk, and the Complicated Difficulties and Distresses Which Surround Her, Appeals, as a Last Resource, to Her Uncle for Protection
Chapter XXIX: Of the Proceedings of Nicholas, and Certain Internal Divisions in the Company of Mr. Vincent Crummles
Chapter XXX: Festivities Are Held in Honour of Nicholas, Who Suddenly Withdraws Himself from the Society of Mr. Vincent Crummles and His Theatrical Companions
Chapter XXXI: Of Ralph Nickleby and Newman Noggs, and Some Wise Precautions, the Success or Failure of Which Will Appear in the Sequel
Chapter XXXII: Relating Chiefly to Some Remarkable Conversation, and Some Remarkable Proceedings to Which It Gives Rise
Chapter XXXIII: In Which Mr. Ralph Nickleby Is Relieved, by a Very Expeditious Process, from All Commerce with His Relations
Chapter XXXIV: Wherein Mr. Ralph Nickleby Is Visited by Persons with Whom the Reader Has Been Already Made Acquainted
Chapter XXXV: Smike Becomes Known to Mrs. Nickleby and Kate. Nicholas Also Meets with New Acquaintances. Brighter Days Seem to Dawn Upon the Family
Chapter XXXVI: Private and Confidential; Relating to Family Matters. Showing How Mr Kenwigs Underwent Violent Agitation, and How Mrs. Kenwigs Was as Well as Could Be Expected
Chapter XXXVII: Nicholas Finds Further Favour in the Eyes of the Brothers Cheeryble and Mr. Timothy Linkinwater. The Brothers Give a Banquet on a Great Annual Occasion. Nicholas, on Returning Home from It, Receives a Mysterious and Important Disclosure from the Lips of Mrs. Nickleby
Chapter XXXVIII: Comprises Certain Particulars Arising Out of a Visit of Condolence, Which May Prove Important Hereafter. Smike Unexpectedly Encounters a Very Old Friend, Who Invites Him to His House, and Will Take No Denial
Chapter XXXIX: In Which Another Old Friend Encounters Smike, Very Opportunely and to Some Purpose
Chapter XL: In Which Nicholas Falls in Love. He Employs a Mediator, Whose Proceedings Are Crowned with Unexpected Success, Excepting in One Solitary Particular
Chapter XLI: Containing Some Romantic Passages Between Mrs. Nickleby and the Gentleman in the Small-clothes Next Door
Chapter XLII: Illustrative of the Convivial Sentiment, That the Best of Friends Must Sometimes Part
Chapter XLIII: Officiates as a Kind of Gentleman Usher, in Bringing Various People Together
Chapter XLIV: Mr. Ralph Nickleby Cuts an Old Acquaintance. It Would Also Appear from the Contents Hereof, That a Joke, Even Between Husband and Wife, May Be Sometimes Carried Too Far
Chapter XLV: Containing Matter of a Surprising Kind
Chapter XLVI: Throws Some Light Upon Nicholas’s Love; but Whether for Good or Evil the Reader Must Determine
Chapter XLVII: Mr. Ralph Nickleby Has Some Confidential Intercourse with Another Old Friend. They Concert Between Them a Project, Which Promises Well for Both
Chapter XLVIII: Being for the Benefit of Mr. Vincent Crummles, and Positively His Last Appearance on This Stage
Chapter XLIX: Chronicles the Further Proceedings of the Nickleby Family, and the Sequel of the Adventure of the Gentleman in the Small-clothes
Chapter L: Involves a Serious Catastrophe
Chapter LI: The Project of Mr. Ralph Nickleby and His Friend Approaching a Successful Issue, Becomes Unexpectedly Known to Another Party, Not Admitted into Their Confidence
Chapter LII: Nicholas Despairs of Rescuing Madeline Bray, but Plucks Up His Spirits Again, and Determines to Attempt It. Domestic Intelligence of the Kenwigses and Lillyvicks
Chapter LIII: Containing the Further Progress of the Plot Contrived by Mr. Ralph Nickleby and Mr. Arthur Gride
Chapter LIV: The Crisis of the Project and Its Result
Chapter LV: Of Family Matters, Cares, Hopes, Disappointments, and Sorrows
Chapter LVI: Ralph Nickleby, Baffled by His Nephew in His Late Design, Hatches a Scheme of Retaliation Which Accident Suggests to Him, and Takes into His Counsels a Tried Auxiliary
Chapter LVII: How Ralph Nickleby’s Auxiliary Went About His Work, and How He Prospered with It
Chapter LVIII: In Which One Scene of This History Is Closed
Chapter LIX: The Plots Begin to Fail, and Doubts and Dangers to Disturb the Plotter
Chapter LX: The Dangers Thicken, and the Worst Is Told
Chapter LXI: Wherein Nicholas and His Sister Forfeit the Good Opinion of All Worldly and Prudent People
Chapter LXII: Ralph Makes One Last Appointment—and Keeps It
Chapter LXIII: The Brothers Cheeryble Make Various Declarations for Themselves and Others. Tim Linkinwater Makes a Declaration for Himself
Chapter LXIV: An Old Acquaintance Is Recognised Under Melancholy Circumstances, and Dotheboys Hall Breaks Up for Ever
Chapter LXV: Conclusion