# Tim Linkinwater — Nicholas Nickleby character guide

> Tim Linkinwater in Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tim, Mr. Linkinwater, old Tim Linkinwater, Mr. Timothy Linkinwater

**First appearance:** 0037-xxxv

## Snapshot

The Cheeryble brothers' long-serving clerk, a fussy, faithful old bachelor whose small kindnesses and daily rituals hide a generous heart.

## Who they are

Tim has kept the Cheerybles' counting-house running for decades, tending the flowers of a sick boy in the window and greeting each morning with the same gentle routine. He is the quiet moral center of the counting-house, and his friendship with Nicholas offers the young man a model of steady, unshowy goodness. His small observations about the boy and the flowers reveal the tenderness beneath his eccentric surface.

## Relationships

### [Nicholas Nickleby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/characters/nicholas_nickleby)

_friendship_

Tim Linkinwater is a kind and cheerful colleague who becomes a close friend to Nicholas.

### [Nicholas Nickleby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/characters/nicholas_nickleby)

_friendship_

Tim Linkinwater is a kind and cheerful colleague who becomes a close friend to Nicholas.

### [Nicholas Nickleby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/characters/nicholas_nickleby)

_friendship_

Tim Linkinwater is a kind and cheerful colleague who becomes a close friend to Nicholas.

## In the story

### [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/chapters/xxxvii)

Celebrates his birthday with the Cheeryble brothers and Nicholas; described as methodical and devoted to the countinghouse.

### [XL](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/chapters/xl)

Shares a poignant story about a sickly boy who finds solace in tending flowers from his window.

### [Throws some light upon Nicholas's Love; but whether for good or evil the reader must determine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/chapters/xlvi)

Mentioned as having confronted Ralph during his visit.

### [XLVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/chapters/xlviii)

Notices Nicholas's distraction and jokingly suggests he must have made a mistake in his figures.

### [Chapter XLIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/chapters/xlix)

Guards the old gentleman alongside Frank; takes delight in his new friends.

### [LIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/chapters/lix)

Joins the Cheerybles and Noggs in laying out the evidence against Ralph.

### [LXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/chapters/lxi)

Greets Nicholas warmly, becomes emotional upon hearing that Smike remembered him.

### [Chapter LXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/chapters/lxiii)

Delivers the invitation, is teased by the brothers, and proposes to Miss La Creevy.

### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/chapters/lxv)

Marries Miss La Creevy, accepts a share in the house but continues his clerkly duties, living in the old house with his cheerful wife.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/characters/tim_linkinwater
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nicholas_nickleby_se/characters