Stranica 76 [76]
56 LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY.
stroking her, not noticing what his mother and Mr. Havisham
were saying.
They were, indeed, speaking in a rather low tone. Mrs. Errol
looked a little pale and agitated.
«He need not go to-night?” she said. "He will stay with
me to-night ?”
“Yes,” answered Mr. Havisham in the same low tone; "it will
not be necessary for him to go to-night. I myself will go to the
Castle as soon as we have dined, and inform the Earl of our
arrival.”
Mrs. Errol glanced down at Cedric. He was lying in a grace¬
ful, careless attitude upon the black-and-yellow skin; the fire shone
on his handsome, flushed little face, and on the tumbled, curly hair
spread out on the rug; the big cat was purring in drowsy content,—
she liked the caressing touch of the kind little hand on her fur.
Mrs. Errol smiled faintly.
‘His lordship does not know all that he is taking from me, she
said rather sadly. Then she looked at the lawyer. ‘ Will you tell
him, if you please,” she said, "that I should rather not have the
money ?”
“The money!” Mr. Havisham exclaimed. " You can not mean
the income he proposed to settle upon you !”
“Yes,” she answered, quite simply; "1 think Í should rather not
have it. lam obliged to accept the house, and I thank him for it,
because it makes it possible for me to be near my child; but I have
a little money of my own,—enough to live simply upon,—and I
should rather not take the other. As he dislikes me so much, |
should feel a little as if I were. selling Cedric to him. Iam giving
him up only because I love him enough to forget myself for his good,
and because his father would wish it to be so.”
Mr. Havisham rubbed his chin.