Ralph Nickleby read this letter twice, and frowning heavily, fell into a fit of musing; the paper fluttered from his hand and dropped upon the flfloor, but he clasped his fingers, as if he held it still. Suddenly, he started from his seat, and thrustingit all crumpled into his pocket, turned furiously to Newman Noggs, as though to ask him why helingered. But Newman stood unmoved, with his back towards him, following up, with the worn and blackened stump of an old pen, some figures in an Interest-table which was pasted against the wall, and apparently quite abstracted from every other object.
