Stranica 84 [84]
V
Lord Fauntleroy and Mr. Havisham drove up the long avenue
which led to the castle. The Earl had given orders that his
grandson should arrive in time to dine with him; and for some reason
best known to himself, he had also ordered that the child should be
sent alone into the room in which he intended to receive him. As
the carriage rolled up the avenue, Lord Fauntleroy sat leaning com¬
fortably against the luxurious cushions, and regarded the prospect
with great interest. He was, in fact, interested in everything he
saw. He had been interested in the carriage, with its large, splendid
horses and their glittering harness; he had been interested in the
tall coachman and footman, with their resplendent livery; and he
had been especially interested in the coronet on the panels, and had
struck up an acquaintance with the footman for the purpose of
inquiring what it meant. |
When the carriage reached the great gates of the park, he
looked out of the window to get a good view of the huge stone lions
ornamenting the entrance. The gates were opened by a motherly,
rosy-looking woman, who came out of a pretty, ivy-covered lodge.
Two children ran out of the door of the house and stood looking
with round, wide-open eyes at the little boy in the carriage, who
looked at them also. Their mother stood courtesying and smiling,
and the children, on receiving a sign from her, made bobbing little
courtesies too.
|: was late in the afternoon when the carriage containing little
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