PENGUIN ACTIVE READING LEVEL 4 Nicholas Nickleby
PENGUIN ACTIVE READINGNicholas NicklebyCharles DickensLEV EL 4
Nicholas NicklebyCharles DickensELEFANTAENGLISHTIPS.ORGLevel 4Retold by Chris RiceSeries Editors: Andy Hopkins and Jocelyn Potter
Pearson Education LimitedEdinburgh Gate, Harlow,Essex CM 20 2JE, Englandand Associated Companies throughout the world.Pack ISBN: 978-1-4058-5220-3Book ISBN: 978-1-4058-5083-4CD-ROM ISBN: 978-1-4058-5084-1First edition published 2004This edition published 20073 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2Text copyright Penguin Books Ltd 2004This edition copyright Pearson Education Ltd 2007Illustrations by Julian Totino TedescoSet in 11/13pt A. GaramondPrinted in ChinaSW TC/02Produced for the Publishers by AC Estudio Editorial S.L.All rights reserved; no part o f this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,without the prior written permission o f the Publishers.Published by Pearson Education Ltd in association with Penguin Books Ltd,both companies being subsidiaries of Pearson Pic.AcknowledgementsWe are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce photographs:Getty Images: page 74 (4) (Hulton Archive); Mary Evans Picture Library: page 74 (1), (2), (3), (5);The Charles Dickens Museum: page 74 (6) (Phiz) (Hoblot Knight Browne)Picture Research by Hilary LuckcockEvery effort has been made to trace the copyright holders and we apologise in advance for anyunintentional omissions. We would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgementin any subsequent edition of this publication.For a complete list of the titles available in the Penguin Active Reading series please write to your localPearson Longman office or to: Penguin Readers Marketing Departm ent, Pearson Education,Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex CM 20 2JE, England.
C ontentsActivities 1ivChapter 1Uncle RalphiChapter 2Dotheboys HallActivities 2712Chapter 3Fanny Squeers14Chapter 4Return to LondonActivities 32024Chapter 5Sir M ulberry Hawk26Chapter 6Nicholas Fights BackActivities 43136Chapter 7A Change of Luck38Chapter 8KidnapActivities 5Chapter 9Love and War46Chapter 10Madeline Bray49Chapter 11An Evil MarriageActivities 65358Chapter 12Poor Smike60Chapter 13Ralphs Final DefeatChapter 14Happiness at LastTalk about itWrite about itProject: A Better World? 41446368727374
What's the book about?Discuss these questions.1 Look at the picture on the front cover and think about city life in the 1800s. Howwas life worse for:poor people?women?children?2 What other books by Charles Dickens do you know? What qualities do they share?3 Imagine these people are strangers at a party. Who would you talk to first? Whowould you not talk to? Why?What happens first?Look at the pictures on pages 1-11. Do you think these statements are true (/ )or false (/)?1Ralph Nickleby, the man in each of the first three pictures, is very popular.2j Nicholas Nickleby and his family (page 4) are happy.3I Nicholas (pages 8-9) goes on a long journey.4] Smike (page 11) is afraid of Nicholas.iv
Uncle Ralph7 can understand a broken neck or a broken leg,but not a broken heart. *Mr Ralph Nickleby closed the thick book that contained the names ofall the people who owed him money. His money-lending business wasdoing well, he thought with a satisfied smile. Life had never been better. It wastrue that he had never married, he had no friends and he was unpopular withhis neighbours, but he did not care. People admired him because he was rich,and that was good enough for him. In his world, money was the only thing thatmattered.While M r Nickleby was congratulating himself on his own success, there wasa knock at the door. A tall, middle-aged man with strange, wild eyes walked intothe room. It was Newman Noggs, M r Nickleby’s clerk.owe h u / (v) to have to pay someone that you have borrowed money fromclerk /klaik/ (n) someone who works at a desk in an office1
Nicholas Nickleby‘W hat do you want, Newman?’ M r Nickleby said, annoyed by hisinterruption.‘I have a letter for you,’ the clerk replied, one eye looking at his employer, theother looking out o f the window.‘Well, bring it here, man!’ M r Nickleby said impatiently.Newman took the letter carefully out o f his badly fitting suit, carried it slowlyacross the room and gave it to his employer.M r Nickleby read it quickly. ‘My brother’s dead,’ he said. ‘T hat was sudden.’He stood up, walked across to the window, and stared thoughtfully through itsdirty glass into the smoke-blackened yard behind his house.‘Children alive?’ Noggs asked.‘Unfortunately for me, yes,’ M r Nickleby said. ‘Both of them. And themother, too. No money, and now they expect me to take care o f them. They’reall in London now, waiting for my help. W hat do I care about them? /n ev er metthem .’Noggs looked at his employer’s back with a strange expression on his face.It was not exactly a smile, but it was not a look of sadness either. N obody couldever understand the expressions on Newman Noggs’s face.‘Get me my coat and gloves, Newm an,’ M r Nickleby suddenly decided,turning away from the window. ‘I have a visit to make.’M r Nickleby walked quickly to the Strand, one o f the busiest streets inLondon. He knocked several times on the door of a small house and waited.The door was finally opened by a servant girl.‘Is Mrs Nickleby at home?’ he demanded.‘You mean Miss La Creevy?’ the girl replied.‘No, I mean Mrs Nickleby!’‘Show the gentleman up, H annah,’ a voice called from inside the house.M r Nickleby walked straight past the servant girl into the hall of the houseand quickly up the stairs. O n the first floor he met a small, bird-like, middleaged woman wearing black gloves and a yellow cloth tied around her head.‘My name’s Miss La Creevy,’ the woman said with a friendly smile. ‘I’m anartist. W ould you like me to paint your picture for you? You have a wonderfullyserious face. Such strong eyes!’‘I’m not here for a painting, m adam ,’ M r Nickleby replied impatiently. ‘I’mlooking for a Mrs Nickleby. Is she here?’yard /ja:d/ (n) an area of land with a wall around it next to a buildingexpression /ik 'sp re ja n / (n) a look on someone's face2
Chapter 1 - Uncle Ralph‘A lady from the country and her two children have rented a room on thesecond floor,’ the woman said. ‘She’s a widow.’‘K poor widow.T m afraid so.’‘T h at’s her,’ M r Nickleby sighed.w idow /'wicbu/ (n) a woman whose husband has diedsigh /sai/ (v) to breathe out heavily when you are tired, bored or annoyed3
Nicholas Nickleby4
Chapter 1 - Uncle RalphThe servant girl led him upstairs and into a small room. W hen he entered,a woman wearing a long black dress rose from her chair. A beautiful girl ofa b o u t seventeen moved across the room to take her arm. A young man, twoor three years older than his sister, stepped forwards and greeted Ralph ashis uncle.‘You are Nicholas, I suppose?’ Ralph said.‘That is my name, sir,’ the young man smiled.Ralph did not return his nephew’s smile, but turned immediately to MrsNickleby. ‘Well, madam, how are you?’ he said. ‘You must be brave in yoursadness. I always am .’‘This is no ordinary sadness,’ Mrs Nickleby said, putting her handkerchief toher eyes.‘I disagree,’ Ralph said, calmly unbuttoning his coat. ‘Husbands die every day,ma’am*, and wives, too.’A nd brothers also, sir,’ Nicholas said, already beginning to dislike his uncle.‘Yes, sir, and dogs and cats,’ Ralph replied, sitting down. ‘You didn’t say inyour letter how my brother died, ma’am .’‘Nobody knows,’ Mrs Nickleby said, her eyes filled with tears. ‘We believethat he died o f a broken heart.’‘Impossible!’ Ralph said angrily. ‘I can understand a broken neck or a brokenleg, but not a broken heart. It is an excuse for people who want to escape theirdebts.’‘Some people, I believe, have no hearts to break,’ said Nicholas quietly.Ralph turned round in his chair and looked at his nephew with scorn. ‘Howold is this boy?’ he demanded.‘Nicholas is nearly nineteen,’ said the widow.‘Nineteen, eh?’ said Ralph. ‘A nd do you have a job?’N ot yet,’ Nicholas answered proudly, ‘but I’ll find one.’You’d better,’ Ralph said, staring at him with cold, grey eyes. ‘You haven’t gota penny in the world, have you?’'T hat s true,’ Nicholas said. ‘But don’t worry. I won’t need your help.’Nicholas’s m other begged the emotional young man to control himself andasked Ralph to forgive her son for his rudeness.* m a am : a sh o rt fo rm o f m a d a m ’rise /raiz/ (v) to stand updebt /det/ (n) borrowed money that you must pay backscorn /skoin/ (n) an opinion or attitude that someone is stupidbeg /beg/ (v) to ask for something in an anxious away5
Nicholas NicklebyRalph gave Nicholas another scornful smile, then turned to Mrs Nicklebyagain. ‘You say in your letter, ma’am, that my brother left you nothing when hedied,’ he said.‘T h at’s true,’ the widow said. ‘I’ve had to sell our home to pay myhusband’s debts, and I’ve spent the last of my money on the journey to London.I hoped that you would be able to help your brother’s children. T hat was hisdying wish.’‘W hat can your daughter do, ma’am?’ Ralph asked.‘She has learnt a little French and music.’‘A nd have you ever done anything?’ Ralph said to Nicholas.‘N o,’ Nicholas replied.‘I thought not!’ Ralph said, looking again at Mrs Nickleby. ‘Your husbandwas a dreamer, ma’am. T hat’s why he left you with no money, and left me withthe problem o f helping you. He was a foolish, selfish m an.’‘Yes, that’s true, I suppose,’ Mrs Nickleby agreed. ‘He never listened tomy advice about money. I often think that I made a bad mistake when Imarried himRalph listened to Mrs Nickleby’s complaints about her husband with a half smile. W hen she had finished, he looked at his nephew and said, ‘A re you willingto work, sir?’‘O f course I am .’‘Then I have something here that may interest you.’He took a newspaper from his pocket, and showed him an advertisement:M r Wackford Squeers’s Schoolfor Boys, Dotheboys Hally near Greta Bridge inYorkshire, needs an assistant. He will be paid five pounds a year. M r Squeers isstaying in London, at the Saracens Head Hotel Snow Hill.‘Five pounds a year isn’t m uch,’ Kate complained. And Yorkshire is so far away!’‘Be quiet, dear,’ Mrs Nickleby told her. ‘I’m sure your uncle knows best.’A nd if I get this job,’ Nicholas wanted to know, ‘what will happen to mym other and sister?’‘I will take care o f them ,’ Ralph promised. ‘I will find your sister a jobwith a dressmaker that I know. But only if you take this job. Do youunderstand?’‘Then I agree,’ Nicholas said, forgetting his anger o f minutes earlier andshaking his uncle’s hand. ‘I’ll take the job - if M r Squeers will have me.’He will accept you —I can promise you that, ’ Ralph said. Now, getyour hat and coat, young man. We must go to the Saracens Head immediately!’6
Dotheboys HallNicholas's heart was filled with pity for these poor children,who suffered such cruel treatment.ackford Squeers was a strange-looking man with flat, oily hair. Hisblack jacket was m uch too big for him, and his trousers were m uch toos h o rt. But the strangest thing about him was his face. He only had one eye,which looked like a dirty window. W hen he smiled, it seemed to shine with afrightening green light.At first, M r Squeers was unwilling to accept Nicholas as his assistant becausehe was too young and had not been to college. But after a few quiet words withthe boy’s uncle, he offered Nicholas the job. T h e coach leaves at eight o’clocktomorrow m orning,’ he said. ‘You m ustn’t be late.’Nicholas woke up at six o’clock the next m orning and hurried to the Saracen’sHead. W hile he was helping M r Squeers to lift a few small, frightened-lookingboys onto the coach, he was surprised to see his m other and sister. His uncle hadbrought them to say goodbye.‘W hy didn’t you wake us?’ Mrs Nickleby said, throwing her arms around herson. ‘You left w ithout breakfast!’‘There’s no time for this, Nickleby!’ Squeers interrupted rudely,buttoning his coat against the cold. ‘Get onto the coach immediately. Oneof my boys has already nearly fallen off. If a boy died now, I’d lose twentypounds!’‘Dear Nicholas,’ whispered Kate, leading her brother away. ‘W hat kind ofplace are you going to?’I d o n t know, Kate,’ Nicholas replied, pressing his sister’s hand. ‘I suppose thepeople in Yorkshire are rougher than people in London.’‘H e’s a nasty little man. H e’s so rude.’‘But hes my employer,’ Nicholas reminded her.Nicholas kissed his tearful sister and m other and shook his uncle’s hand. Thenhe jum ped up into his seat on the coach.However, as he was waving goodbye, an odd thing happened. Somebodystarted pulling softly at his leg. He looked down and saw a tall, thin man withstrange, wild eyes.W‘W hat’s this?’ Nicholas asked, when the man pushed a dirty letter into hishand.coach /kautJV (n) a large, horse-pulled vehicle with a roofhowever /hau'eva/ (adv) but; a word used to introduce a surprising fact or idea
Nicholas Nickleby‘You don’t know m e,’ the man whispered nervously, ‘but I work for youruncle. Take it and read it.’Before Nicholas could say another word, the man had gone.The journey to Yorkshire was long and uncomfortable. It snowed heavily onthe way, and everybody felt cold and hungry. At six o’clock the next evening, theyfinally arrived at Greta Bridge. M r Squeers and Nicholas took the boys off thecoach and put them into a small cart.‘Is it m uch further to Dotheboys Hall, sir?’ Nicholas asked Squeers when thecart had left Greta Bridge.A bout three miles,’ Squeers replied. ‘But we don’t call it a “Hall” up here- only in London, because it sounds better.’Squeers laughed to himself, and Nicholas stared into the darkness until theyreached Dotheboys Hall. Then he understood. The ‘Hall’ was just a long, low,cold-looking house with a few old farm buildings behind it.cart /ka:t/ (n) a small wooden vehicle that is pulled by a horse
Chapter 2 - Dotheboys HallWhile Nicholas sat in the cart with the boys, Squeers jum ped down andfor someone to open the gate. Several minutes later, a tall boy in old,thin clothes ran out o f the house.‘W hy did you take so long, Smike?’ Squeers shouted.‘Sorry, sir, but I fell asleep by the fire.’‘Fire? W hat fire?’ the schoolmaster demanded angrily.‘Mrs Squeers said that I could sit by the fire in the kitchen to keep warm .’‘Mrs Squeers is a fool,’ Squeers replied. ‘You’d stay awake better in thesh o u te dcold!’The boy called Smike opened the gate, looking nervously at Squeers. A fewminutes later, Nicholas was standing outside the door with the boys and theluggage. He stared up at the cold-looking house with its dark windows andsighed. He was a long way from his hom e and family, and he had never felt solonely.schoolm aster /'sku:l,ma:st3/ (n) a teacher in a school9
Nicholas NicklebyLife at Dotheboys Hall was very hard. There was no heating in the school,and the boys had to wash with buckets o f icy water in the mornings. They worethe same clothes every day, and they were always hungry. Mrs Squeers fed thema thick, horrible soup every day which M r Squeers called their ‘medicine’. It wasthe cheapest food that they could find.The classroom was cold and dirty with broken windows. There were a coupleo f old, long desks for the children, and two desks at the front of the room - onefor Squeers, and a smaller one for his assistant. D uring the lessons, the boys satquietly, shaking with the cold. Letters from home were opened in front of thewhole class and Squeers took all their money. He did the same with packageso f clothes. If the boys complained, Squeers hit them with a big stick. Nicholaswatched this happen with tears o f anger in his eyes, but he felt powerless to doanything.Squeers gave to his son, young Wackford, all the clothes that he stole fromthe boys. He, o f course, was the only boy in the school who was never cold andhungry. He was also as nasty as his father. His favourite activity was kickingthe other boys and making them cry. If they tried to defend themselves, youngWackford reported them to his father and they were cruelly punished.Nicholas’s heart was filled with pity for these poor children, who suffered suchcruel treatm ent. All the beauty o f innocence had disappeared from their pale,thin faces. He never heard them laughing, and there was no hope in their dull,empty eyes.He was especially sorry for the boy called Smike. He was older than the otherboys - about eighteen or nineteen years old. He was tall for his age but worechildren’s clothes that were m uch too short for him. He did not have lessons, butwas made to do all the hard, dirty jobs around the school. If he did somethingwrong, M r Squeers beat him and shouted at him. Smike had been left at theschool m any years earlier by parents who did not want him. However, Squeersstill received money for him from somewhere. He kept him at the school becausehe was useful.O ne evening, Nicholas sat on his hard, wooden bed in the crowded, unheatedroom that he shared with several other boys. He was thinking sadly o f homewhen suddenly he remembered the letter which the man with wild eyes had givenhim. He took it out of his pocket and read:M y dear young man, I know the world. Yourfather did not, and you do noteither. I f you knew the world\ you would not go on this journey. I f you everwant help in London (dont be angry), go to the Crown Hotel, in Goldentreat /triit/ (v) to behave towards someone in the way that is described10
Chapter 2 - Dotheboys HallSquare. They will give you my address. You can come at night. M any years ago,people were not ashamed to know me. Now things are different — but that isnot important. There is no future. Newman Noggs.W hile Nicholas was putting the letter back in his pocket, a strange thinghappened to him. His eyes filled with tears.The next day, Nicholas saw Smike on his knees, trying to light a fire. Smikelooked up at Nicholas with a frightened expression.‘Don’t be afraid, ’ Nicholas said kindly. ‘I’m not going to hurt you. Are youcold?’Smike covered his face with his thin, dirty hands and started crying. ‘My heartwill break if I stay in this horrible place,’ he said. ‘Before you arrived, a boy diedhere. He was my last friend. Just before he died, his face was lit up by a lovelysmile. He said that he could see the faces of his friends around his bed. They hadcome from home and they were smiling and talking to him. W hat faces will smileat me when I die? There’s no hope for me, alive or dead. No hope.’‘There’s always hope,’ Nicholas said gently, resting his hand on the boy’s bonyshoulder.Eventually, Smike stopped crying and moved away, like a frightened animal,into the shadows. Nicholas sighed sadly and went to bed.11
Were you right?Look back at your answers to Activity 1.2 on page iv. Are they true or false? Givereasons.1234.What more did you learn?Answer the questions.1 Who are these people? Write their names.2Which of the people above are described here? Write the letters.J tall, thin and afraidstrange looking but kindQrich and selfishJugly and cruel
3 Which words ( / or X) describe Nicholas? Give a reason for each answer.j emotional; grateful lonelyJ proudLanguage in useLook at the sentence on the right. Then writeHer eyes were filled withthe correct form of the words in the boxes insadness (sad).these sentences.1 Noggs had a strange . on his face.2‘Forgive my son for his .3 Ralph listened to Mrs Nickleby's .4 The children suffered from . . . . .5 There were tears o f.in his eyes.6 The children suffered such cruel.expressrudecomplainangryhungrytreatWhat's next?Look at the start of Chapter 3 and the
Look at the pictures on pages 1-11. Do you think these statements are true (/) or false (/)? 1 Ralph Nickleby, the man in each of the first three pictures, is very popular. 2. j Nicholas Nickleby and his family (page 4) are happy. 3 I . Nicholas (pages 8-9) goes on a long journey. 4] Smike (page 11) is afraid of Nicholas. iv
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