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LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY. 73
‘“ Yes!” explained Cedric; "the ones you gave me all that money
for — the money you told Mr. Havisham to give me if | wanted it.”
‘“ Ha!” ejaculated his lordship. ‘ That’s it, is it? The money
you were to spend as you liked. What did you buy with it? I
should like to hear something about that.”
He drew his shaggy eyebrows together and looked at the child
sharply. He was secretly curious to know in what way the lad had
indulged himself.
“Oh!” said Lord Fauntleroy, "perhaps you did n't know about
Dick and the apple-woman and Bridget. I forgot you lived such a
long way off from them. [hey were particular friends of mine.
And you see Michael had the fever —
‘Who s Michael?” asked the Earl. |
‘Michael is Bridget’s husband, and they were in great trouble.
When a man is sick and can’t work and has twelve children, you
know how it is. And Michael has always been a sober man. And
Bridget used to come to our house andcry. And the evening Mr.
Havisham was there, she was in the kitchen crying, because they
had almost nothing to eat and could nt pay the rent; and I went in
to see her, and Mr. Havisham sent for me and he said you had given
him some money for me. And Í ran as fast as I could into the
kitchen and gave it to Bridget; and that made it all right; and
Bridget could scarcely believe her eyes. That ‘s why I m so
obliged to you.”
‘“ Oh!” said the Earl in his deep voice, "that was one of the things
you did for yourself, was it? What else?”
Dougal had been sitting by the tall chair; the great dog had
taken its place there when Cedric sat down. Several times it had
turned and looked up at the boy as if interested in the conversation.
Dougal was a solemn dog, who seemed to feel altogether too big to
take life’s responsibilities lightly. The old Earl, who knew the dog
) )