Stories By Famous Authors Illustrated 9 - Nicholas Nickleby #1

Nicholas Nickleby, a young man recently separated from his sister Kate and friend Smike after escaping the clutches of the brutal Dotheboys Hall, encounters Vincent Crummles, owner of a theatrical acting company, who offers Nicholas and Smike employment with his troupe. When three rascals—including the villainous Squeers—track down Smike to claim him as Squeers' lawful property, Nicholas defends his friend; Squeers vows legal action and threatens to find Smike's bride, Madeline Bray, whose marriage papers could settle their accounts. As the villains depart, Nicholas resolves to locate Madeline and warn her of the danger while Squeers and his associates plan to pursue her, with the schoolmaster Wackford Squeers boasting he will track her down like a bloodhound.