Nicholas sleeps in a room full of other students. Sleep gives some peace, but this is destroyed when the dawn approaches.
Nicholas looks about the room. Squeers calls up to the boys to come down or to suffer a thrashing. He calls for Smike, but Nicholas does not see the boy in the room. When Nicholas says that Smike isn't there, Squeers comes up, cane in hand. When he doesn't see Smike, he looks frightened. He accuses them of hiding Smike, but Nicholas says he hasn't seen him since the night before. When Nicholas suggests that maybe he committed suicide, Squeers is disturbed.
Squeers asks the other boys where Smike is. One suggests that he ran away, and Squeers beats him for suggesting that anybody would want to run away. Seeing Nicholas' look of disgust, Squeers asks if he thinks Smike
