Nicholas Nickleby Chapter 10

In which we find Miss Nickleby poised delicately for her portrait amidst the charming eccentricities of a miniature painter, while navigating the austere attentions of her uncle Ralph, a man of business whose rough temper belies intentions to provide her with a means to support herself honourably. We witness a curious, if somewhat disquieting, contrast between the sprightly dressmaker's parlour and the cold arrangements he makes, all threaded with gentle hopes and reluctant acquiescence as the young lady prepares to step into an unfamiliar world.