Stranica 97 [97]
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY. 77
a = Er SS
able to meet some one who did not distrust him or shrink from him,
or seem to detect the ugly part of his nature; some one who looked
at him with clear, unsuspecting eyes,— if it was only a little boy in
a black velvet suit.
So the old man leaned back in his chair, and led his young com¬
panion on to telling him still more of himself, and with that odd
gleam in his eyes watched the little fellow as he talked. Lord
Fauntleroy was quite willing to answer all his questions and chatted
on in his genial little way quite composedly. He told him all about
Dick and Jake, and the apple-woman, and Mr. Hobbs; he described
the Republican Rally in all the glory of its banners and transpar¬
encies, torches and rockets. In the course of the conversation, he
reached the Fourth of July and the Revolution, and was just becom¬
ing enthusiastic, when he suddenly recollected something and stopped
very abruptly. |
‘What is the matter?” demanded his grandfather. ‘Why don’t
you go on?” :
Lord Fauntleroy moved rather uneasily in his chair. It was
evident to the Earl that he was embarrassed by the thought which
had just occurred to him.
“T was just thinking that perhaps you might nt like it,” he
replied. ‘Perhaps some one belonging to you might have been
there. I forgot you were an Englishman.”
“You can go on," said my lord. ‘‘ No one belonging to me was
there. You forgot you were an Englishman, too.”
“Oh! no,” said Cedric quickly. ‘I’m an American!”
“You are an Englishman,” said the Earl grimly. ‘ Your father
was an Englishman.”
It amused him a little to say this, but it did not amuse Cedric.
The lad had never thought of such a development as this. He felt
himself grow quite hot up to the roots of his hair.