Chapter 10 The truth was that Miss Errol had found a great many sad things in the course of her work among the poor of the little village that appeared so picturesque when it was seen from the moorsides.
Everything was not as picturesque when seen nearby.
As it looked from a distance.
She had found idleness and poverty and ignorance when there should have been comfort and industry.
And she had discovered after a while.
That Earlborough was considered to be the worst village in that part of the country.
Mr.
Mordaunt had told her a great many of his difficulties and discouragements,
And she had found a great deal by herself.
The agents who had managed the property.
Had always been chosen to please the earl,
And had cared nothing for the degradation and wretchedness of the poor tenants.
Many things therefore had been neglected,
Which should have been attended to.
And matters had gone from bad to worse.
As to Earl's court,
It was a disgrace,
With its dilapidated houses and miserable,
Careless,
Sickly people.
When first Miss Errol went to the place,
It made her shudder.
Such ugliness and slovenliness and want seemed worse in a country place than in a city.
It seemed as if there it might be helped.
And as she looked at the squalid,
Uncared-for children growing up in the midst of vice and brutal indifference,
She thought of her own little boy spending his days in the great,
Splendid castle,
Guarded and served like a young prince,
Having no wish ungratified.
And knowing nothing but luxury and ease and beauty.
And a bold thought came in her wise little mother heart.
Gradually she had begun to see,
As had others,
That it had been her boy's good fortune to please the Earl very much,
And that he would scarcely be likely to be denied anything for which she expressed a desire.
The earl would give him anything.
She said to Mr.
Mordaunt,
He would indulge his every whim.
Why should not that indulgence be used for the good of others?
It is for me to see that this shall come to pass.
She knew she could trust the kind,
Childish heart.
So she told the little fellow the story of Earl's Court,
Feeling sure that he would speak of it to his grandfather,
And hoping that some good results would follow.
And strange as it appeared to everyone.
Good results did follow.
The fact was that the strongest power to influence the Earl was his grandson's perfect confidence in him.
The fact that Cedric always believed that his grandfather was going to do what was right and generous.
He could not quite make up his mind to let him discover.
That he had no inclination to be generous at all.
That he wanted his own way on all occasions,
Whether it was right or wrong.
It was such a novelty to be regarded with admiration as a benefactor of the entire human race and the soul of nobility that he did not enjoy the idea of looking into the affectionate brown eyes and saying,
I am a violent,
Selfish old rascal.
I never did a generous thing in my life.
And I don't care about Earl's Court or the poor people.
Or something which would amount to the same thing.
He actually had learned to be fond enough of that small little boy with the mop of yellow love locks to feel that he himself would prefer to be guilty of an amiable action now and then.
And sew.
Though he laughed at himself after some reflection.
He sent for Nowick.
And had quite a long interview with him at the subject of the court.
And it was decided that the wretched hovels would be pulled down.
And new houses should be built.
It is Lord Fauntleroy who insists on it,
" he said dryly.
He thinks it will improve the property.
You can tell the tenants that it's his idea.
And he looked down at his small lordship who was laying on the hearth rug playing with Dougal.
The great dog was the lad's constant companion.
And followed him about everywhere.
Stalking solemnly after him when he walks.
And trotting majestically behind when he rode or drove.
Of course.
Both the country people and the town people heard of the proposed improvement At first,
Many of them would not believe it.
But when a small army of workmen arrived and commenced pulling down the crazy squalid cottages,
People began to understand that little Lord Fauntleroy had done them a good turn again.
And that through his innocent interference,
The scandal of Earls Court had at last been removed.
If he had only known how they talked about him and praised him everywhere,
And prophesied great things for him when he grew up,
How astonished he would have been.
But he never suspected it.
He lived his simple,
Happy child life,
Frolicking about in the park,
Chasing the rabbits to their burrows,
Laying under the trees on the grass or on the rug in the library,
Reading wonderful books and talking to the earl about them.
And then telling the stories again to his mother.
Writing long letters to Dick and Mr.
Hobbs.
Who responded in characteristic fashion,
Riding out at his grandfather's side or with Wilkins as escort.
As they rode through the market town,
He used to see the people turn and look.
And he noticed that as they lifted their hats their faces often brightened very much.
But he thought it was all because his grandfather was with him.
They are so fond of you,
" he once said,
Looking up at his lordship with a bright smile.
Do you see how glad they are when they see you?
I hope they will someday be as fond of me.
It must be nice to have everybody like you.
And he felt quite proud to be the grandson of so greatly admired and beloved an individual.
When the cottages were being built,
The lad and his grandfather used to ride over to Earl's Court together to look at them.
And Fauntleroy was full of interest.
He would dismount from his pony and go and make acquaintance with the workmen.
Asking them questions about building and bricklaying.
And telling them things about America.
After two or three such conversations,
He was able to enlighten the earl on the subject of brickmaking as they rode home.
I always like to know about things like those,
" he said,
Because you never know what you are coming to.
When he left them,
The workmen used to talk him over among themselves and laugh at his odd,
Innocent speeches.
But they liked him,
And liked to see him stand among them,
Talking away,
With his little hands in his pockets,
His hat pushed back on his curls,
And his small face full of eagerness.
He's a rarin',
They used to say,
And a nice little outspoken chap too.
Not much of the bad stock in him.
And they would go home and tell their wives about him,
And the women would tell each other.
And so it came about that almost everyone talked of,
Or at least knew some story,
Of little Lord Fauntleroy.
And gradually almost everyone knew that the wicked Earl had found something he cared for at last.
Something which had touched and even warmed his hard,
Bitter old heart.
But no one knew quite how much it had been warmed,
And how day by day the old man found himself caring more and more for the child.
Who was the only creature that had ever trusted him.
He found himself looking forward to the time when Cedric would be a young man,
Strong and beautiful,
With life all before him,
But having still the kind heart and the power to make friends everywhere.
And the Earl wondered what the lad would do and how he would use his gifts.
Often as you watched the little fellow laying among the hearth,
Coning some big book,
The light shining on the bright young head,
His old eyes would gleam and his cheek would flush.
The boy can do anything.
He would say to himself.
Anything.
He never spoke to anyone else of his feeling for Cedric.
When he spoke of him to others,
It was always the same grim smile.
But Fauntleroy soon knew that his grandfather loved him and always liked him to be near.
Near to his chair if they are in the library.
Opposite to him at the table.
Or by his side when he rode or drove or took his evening walk on the broad terrace.
Do you remember,
Cedric once said,
Looking up from his book as he lay on the rug.
Do you remember what I said to you that first night about our being good companions?
I don't think any people could be better companions than we are.
Do you?
We are pretty good companions,
I should say,
" replied his lordship.
Come here.
Fauntleroy scrambled up and went to him.
Is there anything you want?
" The Earl asked.
Anything you have not?
The little fellow's brown eyes fix themselves on his grandfather with a rather wistful look.
Only one thing,
He answered.
What is it?
Inquired the Earl.
Faultly Roy was silent a second.
He had not thought matters over to himself so long for nothing.
What is it?
" my lord repeated.
Fauntleroy answered.
It is dearest,
" he said.
The old Earl winced a little.
But you see her almost every day,
" he said.
Is that not enough?
I used to see her all the time,
" said Fauntleroy.
She used to kiss me when I went to sleep at night.
And in the morning she was always there.
And we could tell each other things without waiting.
The old eyes and the young ones looked into each other through a moment of silence.
Then the earl knitted his brows.
Do you never forget about your mother,
He said.
No,
Answered Fauntleroy.
Never.
And she never forgets about me.
I shouldn't forget about you,
You know,
If I didn't live with you.
I should think about you all the more.
Upon my word,
Said the Earl,
After looking at him a moment longer.
I believe you would.
The jealous pang that came when the boy spoke so of his mother seemed even stronger than it had been before.
It was stronger because of the old man's increasing affection for the boy.
But it was not long before he had other pains,
So much harder to the face that he almost forgot for a time that he ever hated his son's wife at all.
And in a strange and startling way it happened.
One evening just before the Earls Court cottages were completed.
There was a grand dinner party at Dorenkirch.
There had not been such a party at the castle for a long time.
A few days before it took place,
Sir Harry Lauderdale and Lady Lauderdale,
Who was the Earl's only sister,
Actually came for a visit.
A thing which caused the greatest excitement in the village.
And sent Miss Dibble's shop bell tinkling madly again.
Because it was well known that Lady Lauderdale had only been to Dorncourt once since her marriage 35 years before.
She was a handsome old lady with white curls and dimpled peachy cheeks.
And she was good as gold.
But she had never approved of her brother any more than the rest of the world.
And having a strong will of her own,
And not being afraid at all to speak her mind frankly,
She had several lively quarrels with his lordship,
Seen very little of him since her young days.
She had heard a great deal of him that was not pleasant through the years in which they had separated.
She had heard about his neglect of his wife,
And of the poor lady's death,
And of the indifference to his children,
And of the two weak,
Vicious,
Unprepossessing elder boys who had been no credit to him or anyone else.
These two elder sons,
Beavis and Morris,
She had never seen.
But once there had come to Laurindale Park a tall,
Stalwart,
Beautiful young fellow about 18 years old,
Who had told her that he was the nephew,
Cedric Errol.
And that he had come to see her because he was passing near the place and wished to look at his aunt Constantia of whom he had heard his mother speak.
Lady Lauderdale's kind heart had warmed through and through at the sight of the young man,
And she had made him stay with her for a week,
And petted him,
And made such of him,
And admired him immensely.
He was so sweet-tempered,
Light-hearted,
Spirited a lad,
That when he went away,
She had hoped to see him often again.
But she never did.
Because the Earl had been in a bad humor when he went back to Dorincourt and had forbidden him ever to go to Laurendale Park again.
But Lady Lauderdale had always remembered him tenderly.
And though she feared he had made a rash marriage in America,
She had been very angry when she heard how he'd been cast off by his father,
And that no one really knew where or how he lived.
At last there came a rumor of his death,
And then Beavis,
Who had thrown from his horse and killed,
And Maurice,
Who had died in Rome of the fever,
And soon after came the story of the American child who was to be found and brought home as Lord Fauntleroy.
Probably to be ruined as the others were,
She said to her husband,
Unless his mother is good enough and has a will of her own to help her to take care of him.
But when she heard that Cedric's mother had been parted from him,
She was almost too indignant for words.
It is disgraceful,
Harry,
" she said.
Fancy a child of that age being taken from his mother.
And made the companion of a man like my brother.
He will either be brutal to the boy or indulge him until he's a little monster.
If I thought it would do any good to write.
It wouldn't,
Constantia,
" said Sir Harry.
I know it wouldn't,
She answered.
I know his lordship the Earl of Dorincourt too well.
But it is outrageous.
Not only the poor people and farmers heard about little Lord Fauntleroy,
Others knew him.
He was talked about so much and there were so many stories of him.
Of his beauty,
His sweet temper,
His popularity,
And his growing influence over the earl.
His grandfather,
That rumors of him reached the gentry at their country places,
And he was heard of in more than one county of England.
People talked about him at their dinner tables.
Ladies pitied his young mother and wondered if the boy were as handsome as he was said to be,
And men who knew the earl and his habits laughed heartily at the stories of the little fellow's belief in his lordship's amiability.
Sir Thomas Ash of Ashwall Hall,
Being in Earlborough one day,
Met the Earl and his grandson riding together and stopped to shake hands with my lord.
And congratulate him on the change of looks and on his recovery from the gout.
And did he know,
He said,
When he spoke of the incident afterwards.
The old man looked as proud as a turkey cock.
And upon my word I don't wander for a handsomer finer lad than his grandson I never saw.
As straight as a dart and sat his pony like a young trooper.
And so by degrees Lady Laurindale,
Too,
Heard of the child.
She heard about Higgins and the lame boy,
And the cottages at Earl's Court,
And a score of other things,
And she began to wish to see the little fellow.
And just as she was wondering how it might be brought about,
To her utter astonishment,
She received a letter from her brother,
Inviting her to come with her husband to Dorincourt.
