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206. LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY, .
—— — a mem i Se == =
that instant. Such aclamor of voices, and such a rattle of glasses
and applause! They had begun to like him so much, those warm¬
hearted people, that they forgot to feel any restraint before the ladies
and gentlemen from the castle, who had come to see them. They
made quite a decent uproar, and one or two motherly women looked
tenderly at the little fellow where he stood, with his mother on one
side and the Earl on the other, and grew quite moist about the eyes,
and said to-one another:
‘God bless him, the pretty little dear!”
Little Lord Fauntleroy was delighted. He stood and smiled,
and made bows, and flushed rosy red with pleasure up to the roots
of his bright hair.
‘“Is it because they like me, Dearest?” he said to his mother.
‘‘Is it, Dearest? I’m so glad!”
And then the Earl put his hand on the child’ s shoulder and said
to him:
‘“Fauntleroy, say to them that you thank them for their kind¬
ness.
Fauntleroy gave a glance up at him and then at his mother.
‘“Must |?” he asked just a trifle shyly, and she smiled, and so did
Miss Herbert, and they both nodded. And so he made a little step
forward, and everybody looked at him—such a beautiful, innocent
little fellow he was, too, with his brave, trustful face!—and he spoke
as loudly as he could, his childish voice ringing out quite clear and
strong.
‘“] m ever so much obliged to you!” he said, ‘‘and—I hope
you ll enjoy my birthday—because I ve enjoyed it so much—and—
I m very glad I’m going to be an earl; I did nt think at first Í should
like it, but now I do—and I love this place so, and I think it is
beautiful—and—and—and when I am an earl, I am going to try to
be as good as my grandfather.”