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4 LITILE LORD FAUNILEROY.
lance that he sent him off to travel in America; he thought he would
send him away for a while, so that he should not be made angry by
constantly contrasting him with his brothers, who were at that time
giving him a great deal of trouble by their wild ways.
But, after about six months, he began to feel lonely, and longed
in secret to see his son again, so he wrote to Captain Cedric and
ordered him home. ‘The letter he wrote crossed on its way a letter
the Captain had just written to his father, telling of his love for the
pretty American girl, and of his intended marriage; and when the
Earl received that letter he was furiously angry. Bad as his temper
was, he had never given way to it in his life as he gave way to it
when he read the Captain’s letter. His valet, who was in the room
when it came, thought his lordship would have a fit of apoplexy, he
was so wild with anger. Foran hour he raged like a tiger, and then
he sat down and wrote to his son, and ordered him never to come
near his old home, nor to write to his father or brothers again. He
told him he might live as he pleased, and die where he pleased, that
he should be cut off from his family forever, and that he need never
expect help from his father as long as he lived.
The Captain was very sad when he read the letter; he was very
fond of England, and he dearly loved the beautiful home where he
had been born; he had even loved his ill-tempered old father, and
had sympathized with him in his disappointments; but he knew he
need expect no kindness from him in the future. At first he scarcely
knew what to do; he had not been brought up to work, and had no
business experience, but he had courage and plenty of determination.
So he sold his commission in the English army, and after some
trouble found a situation in New York, and married. The change
from his old life in England was very great, but he was young and
happy, and he hoped that hard work would do great things for him
in the future. He had a small house on a quiet street, and his little