In which we find ourselves at a hospitable inn where Nicholas Nickleby is warmly welcomed by the hearty and good-natured John Browdie and his wife, their convivial spirits and lively conversation filling the room with laughter and good cheer. Yet the scene is momentarily darkened by the arrival of the cantankerous Miss Squeers and her irate family, whose sharp words and bitter recriminations introduce a flavour of discord to the otherwise genial company.