little lord fauntleroy-第34部分

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mind　and　a　great　deal　of　spare　time　on　his　hands；　he　might　not



have　been　so　readily　interested　in　what　they　had　to　say；　for　it



all　certainly　sounded　very　wild　and　queer；　but　he　chanced　to　want



something　to　do　very　much；　and　he　chanced　to　know　Dick；　and　Dick



chanced　to　say　his　say　in　a　very　sharp；　telling　sort　of　way。







〃And；〃　said　Mr。　Hobbs；　〃say　what　your　time's　worth　a'　hour　and



look　into　this　thing　thorough；　and　I'LL　pay　the　damage；Silas



Hobbs；　corner　of　Blank　street；　Vegetables　and　Fancy　Groceries。〃







〃Well；〃　said　Mr。　Harrison；　〃it　will　be　a　big　thing　if　it　turns



out　all　right；　and　it　will　be　almost　as　big　a　thing　for　me　as　for



Lord　Fauntleroy；　and；　at　any　rate；　no　harm　can　be　done　by



investigating。　　It　appears　there　has　been　some　dubiousness　about



the　child。　　The　woman　contradicted　herself　in　some　of　her



statements　about　his　age；　and　aroused　suspicion。　　The　first



persons　to　be　written　to　are　Dick's　brother　and　the　Earl　of



Dorincourt's　family　lawyer。〃







And　actually；　before　the　sun　went　down；　two　letters　had　been



written　and　sent　in　two　different　directionsone　speeding　out　of



New　York　harbor　on　a　mail　steamer　on　its　way　to　England；　and　the



other　on　a　train　carrying　letters　and　passengers　bound　for



California。　　And　the　first　was　addressed　to　T。　Havisham；　Esq。；



and　the　second　to　Benjamin　Tipton。







And　after　the　store　was　closed　that　evening；　Mr。　Hobbs　and　Dick



sat　in　the　back…room　and　talked　together　until　midnight。















XIV







It　is　astonishing　how　short　a　time　it　takes　for　very　wonderful



things　to　happen。　　It　had　taken　only　a　few　minutes；　apparently；



to　change　all　the　fortunes　of　the　little　boy　dangling　his　red



legs　from　the　high　stool　in　Mr。　Hobbs's　store；　and　to　transform



him　from　a　small　boy；　living　the　simplest　life　in　a　quiet　street；



into　an　English　nobleman；　the　heir　to　an　earldom　and　magnificent



wealth。　　It　had　taken　only　a　few　minutes；　apparently；　to　change



him　from　an　English　nobleman　into　a　penniless　little　impostor；



with　no　right　to　any　of　the　splendors　he　had　been　enjoying。　　And；



surprising　as　it　may　appear；　it　did　not　take　nearly　so　long　a



time　as　one　might　have　expected；　to　alter　the　face　of　everything



again　and　to　give　back　to　him　all　that　he　had　been　in　danger　of



losing。







It　took　the　less　time　because；　after　all；　the　woman　who　had



called　herself　Lady　Fauntleroy　was　not　nearly　so　clever　as　she



was　wicked；　and　when　she　had　been　closely　pressed　by　Mr。



Havisham's　questions　about　her　marriage　and　her　boy；　she　had　made



one　or　two　blunders　which　had　caused　suspicion　to　be　awakened；



and　then　she　had　lost　her　presence　of　mind　and　her　temper；　and　in



her　excitement　and　anger　had　betrayed　herself　still　further。　　All



the　mistakes　she　made　were　about　her　child。　　There　seemed　no



doubt　that　she　had　been　married　to　Bevis；　Lord　Fauntleroy；　and



had　quarreled　with　him　and　had　been　paid　to　keep　away　from　him；



but　Mr。　Havisham　found　out　that　her　story　of　the　boy's　being　born



in　a　certain　part　of　London　was　false；　and　just　when　they　all



were　in　the　midst　of　the　commotion　caused　by　this　discovery；



there　came　the　letter　from　the　young　lawyer　in　New　York；　and　Mr。



Hobbs's　letters　also。







What　an　evening　it　was　when　those　letters　arrived；　and　when　Mr。



Havisham　and　the　Earl　sat　and　talked　their　plans　over　in　the



library！







〃After　my　first　three　meetings　with　her；〃　said　Mr。　Havisham；



〃I　began　to　suspect　her　strongly。　　It　appeared　to　me　that　the



child　was　older　than　she　said　he　was；　and　she　made　a　slip　in



speaking　of　the　date　of　his　birth　and　then　tried　to　patch　the



matter　up。　　The　story　these　letters　bring　fits　in　with　several　of



my　suspicions。　　Our　best　plan　will　be　to　cable　at　once　for　these



two　Tiptons；say　nothing　about　them　to　her；and　suddenly



confront　her　with　them　when　she　is　not　expecting　it。　　She　is　only



a　very　clumsy　plotter；　after　all。　　My　opinion　is　that　she　will　be



frightened　out　of　her　wits；　and　will　betray　herself　on　the



spot。〃







And　that　was　what　actually　happened。　　She　was　told　nothing；　and



Mr。　Havisham　kept　her　from　suspecting　anything　by　continuing　to



have　interviews　with　her；　in　which　he　assured　her　he　was



investigating　her　statements；　and　she　really　began　to　feel　so



secure　that　her　spirits　rose　immensely　and　she　began　to　be　as



insolent　as　might　have　been　expected。







But　one　fine　morning；　as　she　sat　in　her　sitting…room　at　the　inn



called　〃The　Dorincourt　Arms；〃　making　some　very　fine　plans　for



herself；　Mr。　Havisham　was　announced；　and　when　he　entered；　he　was



followed　by　no　less　than　three　personsone　was　a　sharp…faced　boy



and　one　was　a　big　young　man　and　the　third　was　the　Earl　of



Dorincourt。







She　sprang　to　her　feet　and　actually　uttered　a　cry　of　terror。　　It



broke　from　her　before　she　had　time　to　check　it。　　She　had　thought



of　these　new…comers　as　being　thousands　of　miles　away；　when　she



had　ever　thought　of　them　at　all；　which　she　had　scarcely　done　for



years。　　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　manwho　was　Benstood　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　control　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。







〃I　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'll　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　I！〃







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。







〃Yes；〃　he　said；　〃I　could　swear　to　him；　too。　　Tom；〃　he　said　to



the　little　fellow；　〃I'm　your　father；　I've　come　to　take　you　away。







Where's　your　hat？〃







The　boy　pointed　to　where　it　lay　on　a　chair。　　It　evidently　rather



pleased　him　to　hear　that　he　was　going　away。　　He　had　been　so



accustomed　to　queer　experiences　that　it　did　not　surprise　him　to



be　told　by　a　stranger　that　he　was　his　father。　　He　objected　so



much　to　the　woman　who　had　come　a　few　months　before　to　the　place



where　he　had　lived　since　his　babyhood；　and　who　had　suddenly



announced　that　she　was　his　mother；　that　he　was　quite　ready　for　a



change。　　Ben　took　up　the　hat　and　marched　to　the　door。







〃If　you　want　me　again；〃　he　said　to　Mr。　Havisham；　〃you　know



where　to　find　me。〃







He　walked　out　of　the　room；　holding　the　child's　hand　and　not



looking　at　the　woman　once。　　She　was　fairly　raving　with　fury；　and



the　Earl　was　calmly　gazing　at　her　through　his　eyeglasses；　which



he　had　quietly　placed　upon　his　aristocratic；　eagle　nose。







〃Come；　come；　my　young　woman；〃　said　Mr。　Havisham。　　〃This　won't



do　at　all。　　If　you　don't　want　to　be　locked　up；　you　really　must



behave　yourself。〃







And　there　was　something　so　very　business…like　in　his　tones　that；



probably　feeling　that　the　safest　thing　she　could　do　would　be　to



get　out　of　the　way；　she　gave　him　one　savage　look　and　dashed　past



him　into　the　next　room　and　slammed　the　door。







〃We　shall　have　no　more　trouble　with　her；〃　said　Mr。　Havisham。







And　he　was　right；　for　that　very　night　she　left　the　Dorincourt



Arms　and　took　the　train　to　London；　and　was　seen　no　more。　　　　　　　　　







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　







When　the　Earl　left　the　room　after　the　interview；　he　went　at　once



to　his　carriage。







〃To　Court　Lodge；〃　he　said　to　Thomas。







〃To　Court　Lodge；〃　said　Thomas　to　the　coachman　as　he　mounted　the



box；　〃an'　you　may　depend　on　it；　things　are　taking　a　uniggspected



turn。〃







When　the　carriage　stopped　at　Court　Lodge；　Cedric　was　in　the



drawing…room　with　his　mother。







The　Earl　came　in　without　being　announced。　　He　looked　an　inch　or



so　taller；　and　a　great　many　years　younger。　　His　deep　eyes



flashed。







〃Where；〃　he　said；　〃is　Lord　Fauntleroy？〃







Mrs。　Errol　came　forward；　a　flush　rising　to　her　cheek。







〃Is　it　Lord　Fauntleroy？〃　she　asked。　　〃Is　it；　indeed！〃







The　Earl　put　out　his　hand　and　grasped　hers。







〃Yes；〃　he　answered；　〃it　is。〃







Then　he　put　his　other　hand　on　Cedric's　shoulder。







〃Fauntleroy；〃　he　said　in　his　unceremonious；　author