that.â
âI donât want to hear it!â panted the Earl, out of breath with anger and excitement and gout.
But Mr. Havisham delivered it.
âShe asks you not to let Lord Fauntleroy hear anything which would lead him to understand that you separate him from her because of your prejudice against her. He is very fond of her, and she is convinced that it would cause a barrier to exist between you. She says he would not comprehend it and it might make him fear you in some measure, or at least cause him to feel less affection for you. She has told him that he is too young to understand the reason, but shall hear it when he is older. She wishes that there should be no shadow on your first meeting.â
The Earl sank back into his chair. His deep-set fierce old eyes gleamed under his beetling brows.
âCome, now!â he said, still breathlessly. âCome, now! You donât mean the mother hasnât told him?â
âNot one word, my lord,â replied the lawyer coolly. âThat I can assure you. The child is prepared to believe you the most amiable and affectionate of grandparents. Nothingâabsolutely nothing has been said to him to give him the slightest doubt of your perfection. And as I carried out your commands in every detail, while in New York, he certainly regards you as a wonder of generosity.â
âHe does, eh?â said the Earl.
âI give you my word of honor,â said Mr. Havisham, âthat Lord Fauntleroyâs impressions of you will depend entirely upon yourself. And if you will pardon the liberty I take in making the suggestion, I think you will succeed better with him if you take the precaution not to speak slightingly of his mother.â
âPooh, pooh!â said the Earl. âThe youngsterâs only seven years old!â
âHe has spent those seven years at his motherâs side,â returned Mr. Havisham; âand she has all his affection.â
5. At the Castle
I T was late in the afternoon when the carriage containing little Lord Fauntleroy and Mr. Havisham drove up the long avenue which led to the Castle. The Earl had given orders that his grandson should arrive in time to dine with him, and for some reason best known to himself he had also ordered that the child should be sent alone into the room in which he intended to receive him. As the carriage rolled up the avenue, Lord Fauntleroy sat leaning comfortably against the luxurious cushions, and regarded the prospect with great interest. He was, in fact, interested in everything he saw. He had been interested in the carriage, with its large, splendid horses and their glittering harness; he had been interested in the tall coachman and footman, with their resplendent livery; and he had been especially interested in the coronet on the panels, and had struck up an acquaintance with the footman for the purpose of inquiring what it meant.
When the carriage reached the great gates of the park, he looked out of the window to get a good view of the huge stone lions ornamenting the entrance. The gates were opened by a motherly, rosy-looking woman, who came out of a pretty ivy-covered lodge. Two children ran out of the house and stood looking with round, wide-open eyes at the little boy in the carriage, who looked at them also. Their mother stood curtsying and smiling, and the children, on receiving a sign from her, made bobbing little curtsies too.
âDoes she know me?â asked Lord Fauntleroy. âI think she must think she knows me.â And he took off his black velvet cap to her and smiled.
âHow do you do?â he said brightly. âGood afternoon!â
The woman seemed pleased, he thought. The smile broadened on her rosy face and a kind look came into her blue eyes.
âGod bless your lordship!â she said. âGod bless your pretty face! Good luck and happiness to your lordship! Welcome to you!â
Lord Fauntleroy waved his cap and nodded to her