Little Lord Fauntleroy Frances Hodgson Burnett (best english novels to read txt) 📖

courage, and when they went back to the library, though the tall footman walked on one side of his master, the Earl’s hand rested on his grandson’s shoulder, though not so heavily as before.

When the footman left them alone, Cedric sat down upon the hearthrug near Dougal. For a few minutes he stroked the dog’s ears in silence and looked at the fire.

The Earl watched him. The boy’s eyes looked wistful and thoughtful, and once or twice he gave a little sigh. The Earl sat still, and kept his eyes fixed on his grandson.

“Fauntleroy,” he said at last, “what are you thinking of?”

Fauntleroy looked up with a manful effort at a smile.

“I was thinking about Dearest,” he said; “and⁠—and I think I’d better get up and walk up and down the room.”

He rose up, and put his hands in his small pockets, and began to walk to and fro. His eyes were very bright, and his lips were pressed together, but he kept his head up and walked firmly. Dougal moved lazily and looked at him, and then stood up. He walked over to the child, and began to follow him uneasily. Fauntleroy drew one hand from his pocket and laid it on the dog’s head.

“He’s a very nice dog,” he said. “He’s my friend. He knows how I feel.”

“How do you feel?” asked the Earl.

It disturbed him to see the struggle the little fellow was having with his first feeling of homesickness, but it pleased him to see that he was making so brave an effort to bear it well. He liked this childish courage.

“Come here,” he said.

Fauntleroy went to him.

“I never was away from my own house before,” said the boy, with a troubled look in his brown eyes. “It makes a person feel a strange feeling when he has to stay all night in another person’s castle instead of in his own house. But Dearest is not very far away from me. She told me to remember that⁠—and⁠—and I’m seven⁠—and I can look at the picture she gave me.”

He put his hand in his pocket, and brought out a small violet velvet-covered case.

“This is it,” he said. “You see, you press this spring and it opens, and she is in there!”

He had come close to the Earl’s chair, and, as he drew forth the little case, he leaned against the arm of it, and against the old man’s arm, too, as confidingly as if children had always leaned there.

“There she is,” he said, as the case opened; and he looked up with a smile.

The Earl knitted his brows; he did not wish to see the picture, but he looked at it in spite of himself; and there looked up at him from it such a pretty young face⁠—a face so like the child’s at his side⁠—that it quite startled him.

“I suppose you think you are very fond of her,” he said.

“Yes,” answered Lord Fauntleroy, in a gentle tone, and with simple directness; “I do think so, and I think it’s true. You see, Mr. Hobbs was my friend, and Dick and Bridget and Mary and Michael, they were my friends, too; but Dearest⁠—well, she is my close friend, and we always tell each other everything. My father left her to me to take care of, and when I am a man I am going to work and earn money for her.”

“What do you think of doing?” inquired his grandfather.

His young lordship slipped down upon the hearthrug, and sat there with the picture still in his hand. He seemed to be reflecting seriously, before he answered.

“I did think perhaps I might go into business with Mr. Hobbs,” he said; “but I should like to be a President.”

“We’ll send you to the House of Lords instead,” said his grandfather.

“Well,” remarked Lord Fauntleroy, “if I couldn’t be a President, and if that is a good business, I shouldn’t mind. The grocery business is dull sometimes.”

Perhaps he was weighing the matter in his mind, for he sat very quiet after this, and looked at the fire for some time.

The Earl did not speak again. He leaned back in his chair and watched him. A great many strange new thoughts passed through the old nobleman’s mind. Dougal had stretched himself out and gone to sleep with his head on his huge paws. There was a long silence.

In about half an hour’s time Mr. Havisham was ushered in. The great room was very still when he entered. The Earl was still leaning back in his chair. He moved as Mr. Havisham approached, and held up his hand in a gesture of warning⁠—it seemed as if he had scarcely intended to make the gesture⁠—as if it were almost involuntary. Dougal was still asleep, and close beside the great dog, sleeping also, with his curly head upon his arm, lay little Lord Fauntleroy.

VI

When Lord Fauntleroy wakened in the morning⁠—he had not wakened at all when he had been carried to bed the night before⁠—the first sounds he was conscious of were the crackling of a wood fire and the murmur of voices.

“You will be careful, Dawson, not to say anything about it,” he heard someone say. “He does not know why she is not to be with him, and the reason is to be kept from him.”

“If them’s his lordship’s orders, mem,” another voice answered, “they’ll have to be kep’, I suppose. But, if you’ll excuse the liberty, mem, as it’s between ourselves, servant or no servant, all I have to say is, it’s a cruel thing⁠—parting that poor, pretty, young widdered cre’tur’ from her own flesh and blood, and him such a little beauty and a nobleman born. James and Thomas, mem, last night in the servants’ hall, they both of ’em say as they never see anythink in their two lives⁠—nor yet no other gentleman in livery⁠—like that little fellow’s ways, as innercent an’ polite an’ interested as if he’d been sitting there dining with his best friend⁠—and the temper of