Little Lord Fauntleroy Ch 10 Part 2

Tonight, I am reading Chapter Ten, Part 2 of Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the beloved author of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. This timeless classic follows the gentle and kind-hearted Cedric Errol, whose life is about to change in the most unexpected way. Filled with warmth, compassion, and the quiet magic of seeing the good in others, this story reminds us that kindness has the power to transform hearts. This audio is perfect for children or adults who want to relax, discover magic, or embark on an adventure before a great night's sleep.

Transcript

When Constantia reached Orincourt Castle with Sir Harry, It was late in the afternoon, And she went to her room at once before seeing her brother. Having dressed for dinner, She entered the drawing room. The Earl was there standing near the fire and looking very tall and imposing, And at his side stood a little boy in black velvet and a large collar of rich lace. A little fellow whose round, Bright face was so handsome, And who turned upon her such beautiful, Candid brown eyes. That she almost uttered an exclamation of pleasure and surprise at the sight. And as she shook hands with the Earl, She called him by the name she had not used since her girlhood. What Molyneux, She said, Is this the child? Yes, Consentia, Answered the Earl. This is the boy. Fauntleroy, This is your grand-aunt, Lady Laurendale. How do you do, Grand Aunt? " said Fauntleroy. Lady Laurindale put her hand on his shoulders. And after looking down into his upraised face a few seconds, Kissed him warmly. I am your Aunt Constantia, " she said, And I loved your poor papa. And you are very like him. Makes me glad when I'm told I'm like him, " answered Fauntleroy, Just like dearest. Lady Laurindale was delighted. She bent and kissed him again, And from that moment they were warm friends. Well, Malin knew, She set aside to the Earl afterward. It could not possibly be better than this. I think not, Answered the Lordship dryly. He is a fine little fellow. We are great friends. He believes me to be the most charming and sweet-tempered of philanthropists. I will confess to you, Constantia, As you will find it out if I did not, That I am in some slight danger of becoming rather an old fool about him. "'What does his mother think of you? ' asked Lady Laurindale with her usual straightforwardness. "'I have not asked her, ' answered the Earl, Slightly scowling. "'Well, ' said Lady Laurindale. I will be frank with you on the outset, And tell you I don't approve of your course, And that it is my intention to call in Miss Errol as soon as possible. So if you wish to quarrel with me, You'd better mention it at once. What I hear of the young creature makes me quite sure that her child owes her everything. We were even told at Laurendale Park that your poor tenants adore her already. They adore him, " said the Earl, Nodding toward Fauntleroy. As to Miss Errol, You'll find her a pretty little woman. I'm rather in debt to her for giving some of her beauty to the boy. And you can go see her if you like. All I ask is that she will remain at Court Lodge and that you will not ask me to go and see her. And he scowled a little again. But he doesn't hate her as much as he used to, So that is plain enough to me, " her ladyship said to Sir Harry afterward. And he is a changed man in measure. And incredible as it may seem, Harry, It is my opinion that he is being made into a human being. Through nothing more, Nor less, Than his affection for the innocent, Affectionate little fellow. The child actually loves him. Leans on his chair and against his knee. His own children would have soon have thought of nestling up to a tiger. The very next day, She went to call upon Miss Errol. When she returned, She said to her brother, Malinue, She is the loveliest little woman I ever saw. She has a voice like a silver bell, And you may thank her for making the boy what he is. She has given him more than just her beauty. And you make a great mistake in not persuading her to come and take charge of you. I shall invite her to Lauradale. She'll not leave the boy, " replied the Earl. I must have the boy, Too, Said Lady Lauderdale, Laughing. But she knew Fauntleroy would not be given up to her, And each day she saw more clearly how closely these two had grown to each other. And how all the proud, Grim old man's ambition and hope and love centered themselves in the child. And how the warm, Innocent nature returned his affection with most perfect trust and good faith. She knew, Too, That the prime reason for the great dinner party was the Earl's secret desire to show the world his grandson and heir. And to let people see that the boy who had been so much spoken of and described was even a finer little specimen of boyhood than rumor had made him. Beavis and Maurice were such a bitter humiliation to him, Said her husband. Everyone knew it. He actually hated them. His pride has full sway here. Perhaps there was not one person who accepted the invitation without feeling some curiosity about little Lord Fauntleroy, And wondering if he would be on view. And when the time came. He was on view. The lad has good manners, Said the Earl. He will be in no one's way. Children are usually idiots or boars. Mine were both. But he can actually answer when he's spoken to, And be silent when he is not. He is never offensive. But he was not allowed to be silent very long. Everyone had something to say to him. The fact was they wished to make him talk. The ladies petted him and asked him questions, And the men asked him questions too and joked with him. As the man on the steamer had done when he crossed the Atlantic. Faultly Roy did not quite understand why they laughed so sometimes when he was around. But he was so used to seeing people amused when he was quite serious that he did not mind. He thought the whole evening delightful. The magnificent rooms were so brilliant with lights, There were so many flowers, The gentlemen seemed so gay, And the ladies wore such beautiful, Wonderful dresses, And such sparkling ornaments in their hair and on their necks. There was one young lady. He heard them say. Who had just come down from London. Where she had spent the season. And she was so charming that he could not keep his eyes from her. She was a rather tall young lady with a proud little head and very soft dark hair, And large eyes the color of purple pansies, And the color on her cheeks and lips was like that of a rose. She was dressed in a beautiful white dress and had pearls around her throat. There is one strange thing about this young lady. So many gentlemen stood near her and seemed anxious to please her. That Fauntleroy thought she must be something like a princess. He was so interested in her that without knowing it, He drew nearer and nearer to her. And at last she turned and spoke to him. Come here, Lord Fauntleroy, " she said, Smiling. And tell me why you look at me so. I was thinking how beautiful you are, " his young lordship replied. Then all the gentlemen laughed outright, And the young lady laughed a little too, And the rose color in her cheeks brightened. "'Ah, Fauntleroy, ' said one of the gentlemen, Who had laughed most heartily. "'Make the most of your time. When you are older, You will not have the courage to say that. '" But nobody could help saying it, Said Fauntly Roy sweetly. Could you help it? Don't you think she's pretty too? We are not allowed to say what we think, " said the gentleman, While the rest laughed more than ever. But the beautiful young lady. . . Her name was Miss Vivian Herbert. Put out her hand, And drew Cedric to her side, Looking prettier than before, If possible. Lord Fauntleroy shall say what he thinks, " she said, And I am much obliged to him. I am sure he thinks what he says. And she kissed him on his cheek. I think you are prettier than anyone I ever saw, " said Fauntleroy, Looking at her with innocent, Admiring eyes. Except for Dyrus, Of course. I couldn't think anyone quite as pretty as Dyrus. I think she's the prettiest person in the world. I am sure she is, " said Miss Vivian Herbert, And she laughed and kissed his cheek again. She kept him by her side a great part of the evening. And the group of which they were the center was very gay. He did not know how it happened, But before long he was telling them all about America and the Republican rally. And Mr. Hobbs and Dick? And in the end proudly produced from his pocket Dick's parting gift. The red silk handkerchief. I put it in my pocket tonight because it was a party, He said. I thought Dick would like me to wear it at a party. And queer as the big flaming spotting thing was, There was a serious affectionate look in his eyes, Which prevented his audience from laughing very much. You see, I like it, He said, Because Dick is my friend. But though he was talked to so much as the Earl had said, He was in no one's way. He could be quiet and listen when others talked, And so no one found him tiresome. A slight smile crossed more than one face when several times he went and stood near his grandfather's chair, Or sat on a stool close to him, Watching him and absorbing every word he uttered with the most charmed interest. Chair's arm that his cheek touched the earl's shoulder, And his lordship, Detecting the general's smile, Smiled a little himself. He knew what the lookers on were thinking, And he felt some secret amusement in their seeing what good friends he was with this youngster, Who might have been expected to share the popular opinion of him. Mr. Havisham had been expected to arrive in the afternoon. But strange to say he was late. Such a thing had really never been known to happen in all these years that he visited Dorincourt Castle. He was so late that the guests were on the point of rising to go. When he arrives. When he approached his host, The earl regarded him with amazement. He looked as if he'd been hurried or agitated. His dry, Keen old face was actually pale. I was detained, He said in a low voice to the Earl, By an extraordinary event. It was as unlike the methodic old lawyer to be agitated by anything as it was to be late. It was evident that he had been disturbed. At dinner, He ate scarcely anything, And two or three times when he was spoken to, He started as if his thoughts were far away. At dessert, When Fauntleroy came in, He looked at him more than once, Nervously and uneasily. Fauntly Roy noted the look and wondered at it. He and Mr. Havisham were on friendly terms, And they usually exchanged smiles. The lawyer seemed to have forgotten to smile that evening. The fact was, He forgot everything but the strange and painful news he knew he must tell the Earl before the night was over. The strange news which he knew would be a terrible shock. In which would change the face of everything. As he looked about at the splendid rooms and the brilliant company, As the people gathered together, He knew, More than they might see, The bright-haired little fellow near the Earl's chair than any other reason. As he looked at the proud old man and little fauntly Roy smiling at his side, He was really quite shaken. What a blow it was that he must deal them. He did not exactly know how the long, Superb dinner ended. He sat through it as if he were in a dream, And several times he saw the Earl glance at him in surprise. But it was over at last, And the gentlemen joined the ladies in the drawing room. They found Fauntly Roy sitting on the sofa with Miss Vivian Herbert, The great beauty of the last London scene. They had been looking at some pictures, And he was thanking his companion as the door opened. I'm ever so much obliged to you for being so kind to me, " he was saying. I never was at a party before, And I have enjoyed myself so much. He had enjoyed himself so much that when the gentlemen gathered about Miss Herbert again and began to talk to her, As he listened and tried to understand their laughing speeches, His eyelids began to droop. They drooped until they covered his eyes two or three times. And then the sound of Mrs. Herbert's low, Pretty laugh would bring him back. And he would open them again for about two seconds. He was quite sure he was not going to sleep, But there was a large yellow satin cushion behind him, And his head sank against it, And after a while his eyelids drooped for the last time. They did not even quite open when, As it seemed a long time after, Someone kissed him lightly on the cheek. It was Miss Vivian Herbert who was going away, And she spoke to him softly. Good night, Little Lord Fauntleroy, " she said. Sleep well. And in the morning he did not know that he had tried to open his eyes and had murmured sleepily. Good night i'm so glad I saw you. You are so beautiful. He only had a very faint recollection of hearing the gentleman laugh again, And of wondering why they did it. No sooner had the last guest left the room than Mr. Havisham turned from his place by the fire and stepped near the sofa, Where he stood looking down at the sleeping occupant. Little Lord Fauntleroy was taking his ease luxuriously. One leg crossed the other and swung over the edge of the sofa. One arm was flung easily above his head. The warm flesh of a healthful, Happy, Childish sleep was on his quiet face. His waving tangle of bright hair strayed over the yellow satin cushion. He made a picture well worth looking at. As Mr. Havisham looked at it, He put his hand up and rubbed his shaven chin with the harassed countenance. Well, Havisham, Said the Earl's hushed voice behind him. What is it? It is evident something has happened. What was the extraordinary event, If I may ask? Mr. Havisham turned from the sofa, Still rubbing his chin. It is bad news, " he answered. Distressing news, My lord. The worst of news. I am sorry to be the bearer of it. The Earl had been uneasy for some time during the evening, As he glanced at Mr. Havisham, And when he was uneasy, He was always ill-tempered. Why do you look so at the boy? " he exclaimed irritably. You've been looking at him all evening as if. . . See her now. Why should you look at the boy, Havisham, And hang over him like some bird of ill omen? What has your news to do with Lord Fauntleroy? My lord, Said Mr. Havisham, I will waste no words. My news has everything to do with Lord Fauntleroy. And if we are to believe it, It is not Lord Fauntleroy who lies sleeping before us, But only the son of Captain Errol. In the present, Lord Fauntleroy is the son of your son Beavis, And is at this moment in a lodging house in London. The earl clutched the arms of his chair with both his hands until the vein stood out upon them. The vein stood out on his forehead, Too. His fierce old face was almost livid. What do you mean? " he cried out. You are mad. Whose lie is this? If it is a lie, Answered Mr. Havisham, It is painfully like the truth. A woman came to my chambers this morning. She said your son Beavis married her six years ago in London. She showed me her marriage certificate. They quarreled a year after the marriage, And he paid her to keep away from him. She has a son 5 years old. She's an American of the lower classes, An ignorant person. And until lately she did not fully understand what her son could claim. She consulted a lawyer and found out that the boy was really Lord Fauntleroy and the heir to the earldom of Dorncourt, And she of course insists on his claims being acknowledged. There was a movement of the curly head on the yellow satin cushion. A soft, Long, Sleepy sigh came from the parted lips, And the little boy stirred in his sleep, But not at all restlessly or uneasily. Not at all as if his slumber were disturbed by the fact that he was being proved a small imposter and that he was not Lord Fauntleroy at all, And never would be the Earl of Dorincourt. He only turned his rosy face more on its side, As if to enable the old man who stared at it so solemnly to see it better. The handsome, Grim old face was ghastly. A bitter smile fixed itself upon it. I should refuse to believe a word of it, He said, If it were not such a low, Scoundrelly piece of business that it becomes quite possible in connection with the name of my son Beavis. It is quite like Beavis. He was always a disgrace to us, Always a weak, Untruthful, Vicious young brute with low tastes. My son and heir, Beavis. Lord Fauntleroy. The woman is an ignorant, Vulgar person, You say? I am obliged to admit that she can scarcely spell her own name, " answered the lawyer. She is absolutely uneducated and openly mercenary. She cares for nothing but the money. She is very handsome in a coarse way, But The fastidious old lawyer ceased speaking and gave a short of a shudder. The veins on the old earl's forehead stood out like purple cords. Something else stood out upon it, Too. Cold drops of moisture. He took out his handkerchief and swept them away. His smile grew even more bitter. And I, He said, I objected to, To the other woman, The mother of this child, Pointing to the sleeping form of the sofa. I refused to recognize her, And yet she could spell her own name. I suppose this is retribution. Suddenly he sprang up from his chair and began to walk up and down the room. Fierce and terrible words poured forth from his lips. His rage and hatred and cruel disappointment shook him as a storm shakes a tree. His violence was something dreadful to see, And yet Mr. Havisham noticed that at the very worst of his wrath, He never seemed to forget the little sleeping figure on the yellow satin cushion, And that he never once spoke loud enough to awaken it. I might have known it, He said. They were a disgrace to me from their first hour. I hated them both and they hated me. Beavis was the worst of the two. I will not believe this yet, Though. I will contend against it to the last. But it is like Beavis. It is just like him. And then he raged again and asked questions about the woman, About her proofs. And pacing the room turned first white and then purple in his repressed fury. When at last he had learned all there was to be told and knew the worst, Mr. Havisham looked at him with a feeling of anxiety. He looked broken, And haggard, And changed. His rages had always been bad for him, But this one had been worse than the rest because there had been something more than a rage in it. He came slowly back to the sofa at last and stood near it. Anyone had told me I could be fond of a child, " he said, His harsh voice low and unsteady. I should not have believed them. I always detested children, My own more than the rest. I am fond of this one, And he is fond of me with a bitter smile. I am not popular, I never was, But he is fond of me. He never was afraid of me. He always trusted me. He would have filled my place better than I filled it. I know that. He would have been an honor to the name. He bent down and stood a minute or so looking at the happy, Sleeping face. His shaggy eyebrows were knitted fiercely, And yet somehow he did not seem fierce at all. He put up his hand, Pushed the bright hair back from his forehead, And then turned away and rang the bell. When the largest footman appeared, He pointed to the sofa. He said. And then his voice changed a little. Take Lord Fauntleroy to his room.