書蟲1級《小爵爺》3. 英格蘭的新生活

3. A new life in England

The ship from New York to England took eleven days, and the young Lord Fauntleroy made a lot of friends in that time. Everybody liked him, and everybody was interested in the story of his family.

Cedric learnt a new piece of the story on the ship.

We're going to have different homes, Ceddie,' his mother told him. 'You must live in the castle with your grandfather, and I have a little house called Court Lodge not far away. You can run in and see me every day.'

Cedric could not understand this, and was very unhappy about it. 'But why?' he asked again and again.

When you are older,' his mother said sadly, 'I can tell you. But not now.'

To Mr Havisham she said this. 'The Earl hates me, and does not want to see me. I don't want Cedric to know that, because how could he understand it? He is a loving child, and I want him and his grandfather to be friends. It is better for the Earl that way.'

I don't like it,' Cedric said later to Mr Havisham. 'But Dearest tells me I must live with my grandfather, because, you see, all his children are dead. You must be sorry for a man when all his children are dead.'

We're going to have different homes, Ceddie,' his mother said.

Mr Havisham smiled. He enjoyed his little talks with Cedric very much.

Are you going to like the Earl?' he asked.

Yes,' said Lord Fauntleroy. 'Of course a boy must like his grandfather. And he's very kind to me.'

On his first night in England Cedric stayed with his mother in her little house near the castle. But Mr Havisham went up to the castle to see the Earl.

The Earl was in a big chair by the fire. He had a bad right foot, and it gave him a lot of pain. And when his foot was painful, the Earl was even more bad-tempered than usual.

Well, Havisham,' he said. 'What's the news?'

Mr Havisham began to tell him about the ship, but the Earl did not want to hear about that.

Yes, yes, yes,' he said angrily. 'But what about the boy? What kind of a boy is he? Is he stupid? What does he look like? Does he talk all the time, in that stupid noisy American way?'

Mr Havisham smiled his little lawyer's smile. 'He is different from most English children, I think. But one thing, my lord. The boy knows nothing about your feelings about his mother. She said nothing to him, because she wants you and him to be friends. So, he thinks you are the kindest grandfather in the world.'

He does, eh?' said the Earl.

So when you speak of his mother, please be careful.'

What kind of a boy is he? Is he stupid?' said the Earl.

Huh!' said the Earl. 'The boy's only seven years old.'

Those seven years were all at his mother's side,' said Mr Havisham. 'And she has all his love.'

The next afternoon the Earl's carriage carried Lord Fauntleroy and Mr Havisham up to Dorincourt Castle. At the great front door all the servants of the house waited to see the new Lord Fauntleroy, the little boy from America. When Cedric got out of the carriage, everybody had something to say about him.

Oh, look! He's just like his father, with the same hair, the same eyes. The dear little boy!'

And he's got his father's happy smile too – look!'

I'm sorry for him, living with that bad-tempered old man. Nobody ever gets a kind word out of the Earl!'

And his poor young mother, living all alone at Court Lodge, without her little boy! I'm sorry for her, too.'

Cedric smiled and said hello to everybody, in his usual friendly way, and went into the house with Mr Havisham. One of the servants, a tall young man, took Cedric to the back of the house and opened a door.

Lord Fauntleroy, my lord,' he said.

Cedric walked down a long room to a fire at the end. There was a big chair there, and an old man in it, with white hair and black eyes.

Cedric came close to the chair. 'Are you the Earl?' he said. 'I'm your grandson. Mr Havisham brought me.' He held out his hand. 'I'm very happy to see you.'

Cedric smiled and said hello to everybody, in his usual friendly way.

The Earl shook hands with him, very surprised. He stared at the strong, beautiful little boy in front of him, with his golden curly hair and his friendly open face.

Happy to see me, are you?' he said.

Yes,' said Lord Fauntleroy. 'Of course. Everybody loves their family, don't they? It's exciting to meet a new grandfather. And you are very kind!'

He sat down on a chair and looked at his grandfather with great interest. The old Earl looked back at him. He did not like anybody in his family. He was bad-tempered with them all, and they all hated him.

Kind?' he said. 'How am I kind?'

Because of the money,' Cedric said happily. 'For Bridget, and Dick. I wanted to thank you.'

Bridget? Dick? Who are they?' said the Earl.

And so Lord Fauntleroy told his grandfather all about his friends in New York, about Bridget and her husband and her twelve children, about Dick and Jake and the boot-black business.

The Earl of Dorincourt did not like children, and children were usually afraid of him. But Cedric was not afraid, and he talked in his usual friendly way.

He thinks I'm his friend,' thought the Earl. 'And he wants to please me.' This was a new feeling for the Earl. Cedric was only a little boy from America, but perhaps it was nice for the Earl to see a smiling face for once.

They talked all evening, through dinner, and after dinner. In the end Cedric went to sleep in front of the fire. The Earl called a servant.

Carry Lord Fauntleroy up to his bedroom,' he said. 'Be careful with him. The boy's tired.'