Stranica 215 [215]
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY. 195
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2S
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She had never expected to see them again. It must be confessed
that Dick grinned a little when he saw her.
‘“ Hello, Minna!” he said.
The big young man — who was Ben — stood still a minute and
looked at her.
‘Do you know her?” Mr. Havisham asked, glancing from one to
the other.
“Yes,” said Ben. "I know her and she knows me.” And he
turned his back on her and went and stood looking out of the
window, as if the sight of her was hateful to him, as indeed it was.
Then the woman, seeing herself so baffled and exposed, lost all con¬
trol over herself and flew into such a rage as Ben and Dick had often
seen her in before. Dick grinned a trifle more as he watched
her and heard the names she called them all and the violent threats
she made, but Ben did not turn to look at her.
“ | can swear to her in any court,” he said to Mr. Havisham, "and
I can bring. a dozen others who will. Her father is a respectable
sort of man, though he ’s low down in the world. Her mother was
just like herself. She s dead, but he s alive, and he s honest
enough to be ashamed of her. He II tell you who she is, and
whether she married me or not.” |
Then he clenched his hand suddenly and turned on her.
‘Where ’s the child?” he demanded. ‘He s going with me!
He is done with you, and so am |!"
And just as he finished saying the words, the door leading into
the bedroom opened a little, and the boy, probably attracted by the
sound of the loud voices, looked in. He was not a handsome boy,
but he had rather a nice face, and he was quite like Ben, his father, as
any one could see, and there was the three-cornered scar on his chin.
Ben walked up to him and took his hand, and his own was
trembling.