...with a sudden jerk as if some one had given him a violent push
from behind and commenced reading immediatly without recognizing
his audience in the least. He read Nickolas Nickelby at Squeers
School and Boy Sawyers party- His rendering of Mr Squeers was
pretty good [of] in Fanny Squeers when she went to Nicholas to have her
pen mended and in her quarrel with "Tilda" he was capital. His lisp
when Fanny begged to have the nib of her pen "as soft as possible"
brought down the house- His represtation of John Browdie flattening
his own nose at the tea party - by way of practise till he should have
an oppurtunity to try his hand on some body elses was also excellent.
Smike was perfect. It brought tears to a good many eyes - but he did
not seem to appreciate Nicholas at all - His indignant remonstrance
with Squeers just before he flogged him was utterly tame