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Nicholas Nickleby, Chapter 19 summary

Chapter 19 of 65 · 25 min to read the chapter

In Chapter 19, Kate Nickleby attends her uncle’s business dinner, where Sir Mulberry Hawk humiliates her before the guests and then forcibly detains her upstairs. Ralph orders Hawk out but admits that he uses Kate to attract Lord Frederick Verisopht’s business, and her distress briefly awakens memories of his dead brother.

What happens

  1. After a miserable working week, Kate accepts Ralph’s dinner invitation, while her mother imagines that it promises wealth and marriage.
  2. Kate arrives at Ralph’s richly furnished house and discovers that she is the only woman among his dinner guests.
  3. Hawk and Verisopht make Kate the subject of a wager, and she leaves the table in tears.
  4. Hawk approaches Kate alone upstairs and holds her dress; she struggles free, causing him to fall.
  5. Ralph orders Hawk out and acknowledges that Kate’s presence serves his financial designs on Verisopht.
  6. Ralph urges Kate to conceal the incident, sends her home, and sees a painful resemblance to his dead brother.

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In this chapter

Ralph NicklebyKate

What to notice

Hawk exposes the financial purpose behind Ralph’s invitation. Ralph’s reply acknowledges the scheme while distinguishing his intentions from Hawk’s conduct.

Quick check

What brings back Ralph’s childhood memory of his brother?

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