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Little Lord Fauntleroy Chapter 7 · The Frances Hodgson Burnett Library

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  Speaker 1: CHAPTER VII. On the following Sunday morning, Mr. Mordent had
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  Speaker 1: a large congregation. Indeed, he could scarcely remember any Sunday
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  Speaker 1: on which the church had been so crowded. People appeared
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  Speaker 1: upon the scene who seldom did him the honor of
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  Speaker 1: coming to hear his sermons. There were even people from Hazleton,
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  Speaker 1: which was the next parish. There were hardy, sunburned farmers, stout, comfortable,
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  Speaker 1: apple-cheeked wives in their best bonnets and most gorgeous shawls,
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  Speaker 1: and half a dozen children or so to each family.
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  Speaker 1: THE DOCTOR'S WIFE WAS THERE WITH HER FOUR DAUGHTERS. MRS.
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  Speaker 1: KIMSEY AND MR. KIMSEY, WHO KEPT THE DRUGGIST'S SHOP AND
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  Speaker 1: MADE PILLS AND DID UP POWDERS FOR EVERYBODY WITHIN TEN MILES,
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  Speaker 1: SAT IN THEIR PEW. MRS. DIBBLE AND HERS. MS. SMITH,
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  Speaker 1: THE VILLAGE DRESSMAKER, AND HER FRIEND, MS. PERKINS, THE MILLINER,
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  Speaker 1: SAT IN THEIRS. THE DOCTOR'S YOUNG MAN WAS PRESENT, AND
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  Speaker 1: THE DRUGGIST'S APPRENTICE. IN FACT, ALMOST EVERY FAMILY ON THE
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  Speaker 1: COUNTRYSIDE WAS REPRESENTED, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. In the
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  Speaker 1: course of the preceding week, many wonderful stories had been
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  Speaker 1: told of little Lord Fauntleroy. Mrs. Dibble had been kept
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  Speaker 1: so busy attending to customers who came in to buy
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  Speaker 1: a pennyworth of needles or a hop-worth of tape, and
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  Speaker 1: to hear what she had to relate, that the little
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  Speaker 1: shop bell over the door had nearly tinkled itself to
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  Speaker 1: death over the coming and going. Mrs. Dibble knew exactly
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  Speaker 1: how his small lordship's rooms had been furnished for him,
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  Speaker 1: what expensive toys had been bought, how there was a
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  Speaker 1: beautiful brown pony awaiting him, and a small groom to
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  Speaker 1: attend it, and a little dog-cart with silver-mounted harness. And
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  Speaker 1: she could tell, too, what all the servants had said
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  Speaker 1: when they had caught glimpses of the child on the
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  Speaker 1: night of his arrival, and how every female below's stairs
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  Speaker 1: had said it was a shame, so it was, to
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  Speaker 1: part the poor pretty dear from his mother, and had
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  Speaker 1: all declared their hearts came into their mouths when he
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  Speaker 1: went alone into the library to see his grandfather, for
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  Speaker 1: there was no knowing how he'd be treated, and his
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  Speaker 1: lordship's temper was enough to fluster them with old heads
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  Speaker 1: on their shoulders, let alone a child. But if you'll
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  Speaker 1: believe me, Mrs. Jennifer Mumm, Mrs. Dibble had said, fear
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  Speaker 1: that child does not know. So Mr. Thomas hisself says,
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  Speaker 1: and set and smile he did, and talk to his
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  Speaker 1: lordship as if they'd been friends ever since his first hour.
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  Speaker 1: And the earl so took a back, Mr. Thomas says,
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  Speaker 1: that he couldn't do nothing but listen and stare from
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  Speaker 1: under his eyebrows. And it's Mr. Thomas's opinion, Mrs. Batesmum, that,
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  Speaker 1: bad as he is, he was pleased in his secret soul,
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  Speaker 1: and proud, too, for a handsomer little fellow, or with
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  Speaker 1: better manners, though so old-fashioned, Mr. Thomas says, he'd never
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  Speaker 1: wish to see. And then there had come the story
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  Speaker 1: of Higgins. The Reverend Mr. Morded had told it at
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  Speaker 1: his own dinner-table, and the servants who had heard it
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  Speaker 1: had told it in the kitchen, and from there it
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  Speaker 1: had spread like wildfire. And on market day, when Higgins
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  Speaker 1: had appeared in town, he had been questioned on every side,
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  Speaker 1: and Newick had been questioned too, and in response had
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  Speaker 1: shown to two or three people the note signed Fauntleroy.
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  Speaker 1: And so the farmer's wives had found plenty to talk
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  Speaker 1: of over their tea and their shopping, and they had
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  Speaker 1: done the subject full justice, and made the most of it.
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  Speaker 1: And on Sunday, They had either walked to church or
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  Speaker 1: had been driven in their gigs by their husbands, who
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  Speaker 1: were perhaps a trifle curious themselves about the new little lord,
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  Speaker 1: who was to be in time the owner of the soil.
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  Speaker 1: It was by no means the earl's habit to attend church,
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  Speaker 1: but he chose to appear on this first Sunday. It
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  Speaker 1: was his whim to present himself in the huge family pew,
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  Speaker 1: with Fauntleroy at his side. There were many loiterers in
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  Speaker 1: the churchyard, and many lingerers in the lane that morning.
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  Speaker 1: There were groups at the gates and in the porch,
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  Speaker 1: and there had been much discussion as to whether my
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  Speaker 1: lord would really appear or not. When this discussion was
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  Speaker 1: at its height, one good woman suddenly uttered an exclamation.' Eh,'
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  Speaker 1: she said,' that must be the mother, pretty young thing.'
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  Speaker 1: All who heard turned and looked at the slender figure
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  Speaker 1: in black coming up the path. The veil was thrown
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  Speaker 1: back from her face. and they could see how fair
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  Speaker 1: and sweet it was, and how the bright hair curled
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  Speaker 1: as softly as a child's under the little widow's cap.
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  Speaker 1: She was not thinking of the people about. She was
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  Speaker 1: thinking of Cedric, and of his visits to her, and
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  Speaker 1: his joy over his new pony, on which he had
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  Speaker 1: actually ridden to her door the day before, sitting very
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  Speaker 1: straight and looking very proud and happy. but soon she
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  Speaker 1: could not help being attracted by the fact that she
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  Speaker 1: was being looked at and that her arrival had created
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  Speaker 1: some sort of sensation. She first noticed it because an
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  Speaker 1: old woman in a red cloak made a bobbing courtesy
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  Speaker 1: to her, and then another did the same thing and said,
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  Speaker 1: God bless you, my lady, and one man after another
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  Speaker 1: took off his hat as she passed. For a moment
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  Speaker 1: she did not understand. and then she realized that it
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  Speaker 1: was because she was little Lord Fauntleroy's mother that they
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  Speaker 1: did so, and she flushed rather shyly, and smiled and
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  Speaker 1: bowed too, and said, Thank you, in a gentle voice
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  Speaker 1: to the old woman who had blessed her. To a
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  Speaker 1: person who had always lived in a bustling, crowded American city,
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  Speaker 1: this simple deference was very novel, and at first just
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  Speaker 1: a little embarrassing. But, after all, she could not help
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  Speaker 1: liking and being touched by the friendly warm-heartedness of which
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  Speaker 1: it seemed to speak. She had scarcely passed through the
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  Speaker 1: stone porch into the church before the great event of
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  Speaker 1: the day happened. The carriage from the castle, with its
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  Speaker 1: handsome horses and tall, liveried servants, bowled around the corner
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  Speaker 1: and down the green lane.' Here they come!' went from
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  Speaker 1: one looker-on to another. And then the carriage drew up,
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  Speaker 1: and Thomas stepped down and opened the door. and a
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  Speaker 1: little boy dressed in black velvet and with a splendid
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  Speaker 1: mop of bright waving hair jumped out. Every man, woman,
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  Speaker 1: and child looked curiously upon him. He's the captain over again,
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  Speaker 1: said those of the onlookers who remembered his father. He's
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  Speaker 1: the captain's self to the life. He stood there in
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  Speaker 1: the sunlight looking up at the earl, as Thomas helped
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  Speaker 1: that nobleman out, with the most affectionate interest that could
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  Speaker 1: be imagined. The instant he could help, he put out
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  Speaker 1: his hand and offered his shoulder as if he had
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  Speaker 1: been seven feet high. It was plain enough to everyone
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  Speaker 1: that however it might be with other people, the Earl
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  Speaker 1: of Dorincourt struck no terror into the breast of his grandson.
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  Speaker 1: Just lean on me, they heard him say. How glad
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  Speaker 1: the people are to see you, and how well they
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  Speaker 1: all seem to know you. Take off your cap, Fauntleroy,
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  Speaker 1: said the Earl. They are bowing to you. To me,
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  Speaker 1: cried Fauntleroy, whipping off his cap in a moment, burying
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  Speaker 1: his bright head to the crowd and turning shining puzzled
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  Speaker 1: eyes on them as he tried to bow to everyone
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  Speaker 1: at once. God bless your lordship, said the curtsying, red-cloaked
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  Speaker 1: old woman who had spoken to his mother. Long life
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  Speaker 1: to you. Thank you, ma'am, said Fauntleroy. And then they
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  Speaker 1: went into the church and were looked at there, on
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  Speaker 1: their way up the aisle to the square, red-cushioned and
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  Speaker 1: curtained pew. When Fauntleroy was fairly seated, he made two
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  Speaker 1: discoveries which pleased him. The first that, across the church
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  Speaker 1: where he could look at her, his mother sat and
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  Speaker 1: smiled at him. The second, that at one end of
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  Speaker 1: the pew, against the wall, knelt two quaint figures carven
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  Speaker 1: in stone, facing each other as they kneeled on either
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  Speaker 1: side of a pillar, supporting two stone missiles, their pointed
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  Speaker 1: hands folded as if in prayer, their dress very antique
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  Speaker 1: and strange. On the tablet by them was written something,
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  Speaker 1: of which he could only read the curious words, Here
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  Speaker 1: lieth the body of Gregory Arthur, first earl of Dorincourt,
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  Speaker 1: also of Alison Hildegard, his wife. May I whisper? inquired
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  Speaker 1: his lordship, devoured by curiosity. What is it? said his grandfather.
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  Speaker 1: Who are they? Some of your ancestors, answered the earl.
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  Speaker 1: who lived a few hundred years ago. Perhaps, said Lord Fauntleroy,
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  Speaker 1: regarding them with respect, perhaps I got my spelling from them.
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  Speaker 1: And then he proceeded to find his place in the
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  Speaker 1: church service. When the music began, he stood up and
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  Speaker 1: looked across at his mother, smiling. He was very fond
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  Speaker 1: of music, and his mother and he often sang together.
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  Speaker 1: So he joined in with the rest. his pure, sweet,
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  Speaker 1: high voice rising as clear as the song of a bird.
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  Speaker 1: He quite forgot himself in his pleasure in it. The
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  Speaker 1: earl forgot himself a little, too, as he sat in
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  Speaker 1: his curtain-shielded corner of the pew and watched the boy.
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  Speaker 1: Cedric stood with the big psalter open in his hands,
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  Speaker 1: singing with all his childish might, his face a little uplifted, happily,
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  Speaker 1: and as he sang, a long ray of sunshine crept in, and,
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  Speaker 1: slanting through a golden pane of a stained-glass window, brightened
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  Speaker 1: the falling hair about his young head. His mother, as
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  Speaker 1: she looked at him across the church, felt a thrill
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  Speaker 1: pass through her heart, and a prayer rose in it, too,
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  Speaker 1: a prayer that the pure, simple happiness of his childish
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  Speaker 1: soul might last. and that the strange great fortune which
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  Speaker 1: had fallen to him might bring no wrong or evil
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  Speaker 1: with it. There were many soft, anxious thoughts in her
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  Speaker 1: tender heart in those new days. Oh, Setty, she had
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  Speaker 1: said to him the evening before, as she hung over
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  Speaker 1: him in saying good-night before he went away. Oh, Setty, dear,
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  Speaker 1: I wish for your sake I was very clever and
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  Speaker 1: could say a great many wise things. But only be good, dear,
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  Speaker 1: only be brave. only be kind and true always and
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  Speaker 1: then you will never hurt any one so long as
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  Speaker 1: you live and you may help many and the big
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  Speaker 1: world may be better because my little child was born
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  Speaker 1: and that is best of all ceddie it is better
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  Speaker 1: than everything else that the world should be a little
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  Speaker 1: better because a man has lived even ever so little
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  Speaker 1: better dearest and on his return to the castle fauntleroy
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  Speaker 1: had repeated her words to his grandfather And I thought
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  Speaker 1: about you when she said that, he ended, and I
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  Speaker 1: told her that was the way the world was because
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  Speaker 1: you had lived, and I was going to try if
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  Speaker 1: I could be like you. And what did she say
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  Speaker 1: to that? asked his lordship a trifle uneasily. She said
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  Speaker 1: that was right, and we must always look for good
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  Speaker 1: in people and try to be like it. Perhaps it
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  Speaker 1: was this the old man remembered as he glanced through
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  Speaker 1: the divided folds of the red curtain of his pew.
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  Speaker 1: Many times he looked over the people's heads to where
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  Speaker 1: his son's wife sat alone, and he saw the fair
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  Speaker 1: face the unforgiven dead had loved, and the eyes which
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  Speaker 1: were so like those of the child at his side.
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  Speaker 1: But what his thoughts were, and whether they were hard
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  Speaker 1: and bitter or softened a little, it would have been
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  Speaker 1: hard to discover. As they came out of church, many
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  Speaker 1: of those who had attended the service stood waiting to
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  Speaker 1: see them pass. As they neared the gate, A man
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  Speaker 1: who stood with his hat in his hand made a
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  Speaker 1: step forward and then hesitated. He was a middle-aged farmer
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  Speaker 1: with a careworn face. Well, Higgins, said the Earl. Fauntleroy
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  Speaker 1: turned quickly to look at him. Oh, he exclaimed, is
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  Speaker 1: it Mr. Higgins? Yes, answered the Earl dryly, and I
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  Speaker 1: suppose he came to take a look at his new landlord. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: my lord, said the man, his sunburned face reddening. Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Newick told me his young lordship was kind enough to
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  Speaker 1: speak for me, and I thought I'd like to say
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  Speaker 1: a word of thanks, if I might be allowed. Perhaps
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  Speaker 1: he felt some wonder when he saw what a little
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  Speaker 1: fellow it was who had innocently done so much for him,
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  Speaker 1: and who stood there looking up just as one of
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  Speaker 1: his own less fortunate children might have done, apparently not
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  Speaker 1: realizing his own importance in the least. I've a great
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  Speaker 1: deal to thank your lordship for, he said. A great deal. I... Oh,
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  Speaker 1: said Fauntleroy, I only wrote the letter. It was my
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  Speaker 1: grandfather who did it, but you know how he is
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  Speaker 1: about always being good to everybody. Is Mrs. Higgins well now?
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  Speaker 1: Higgins looked a trifle taken aback. He also was somewhat
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  Speaker 1: startled at hearing his noble landlord presented in the character
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  Speaker 1: of a benevolent being, full of engaging qualities. I, well, yes,
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  Speaker 1: your lordship, he stammered. The missus is better since the
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  Speaker 1: trouble was took off her mind. It was worrying broke
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  Speaker 1: her down. I'm glad of that, said Fauntleroy. My grandfather
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  Speaker 1: was very sorry about your children having the scarlet fever,
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  Speaker 1: and so was I. He has had children himself. I'm
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  Speaker 1: his son's little boy, you know. Higgins was on the
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  Speaker 1: verge of being panic-stricken. He felt it would be the
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  Speaker 1: safer and more discreet plan not to look at the earl.
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  Speaker 1: as it had been well known that his fatherly affection
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  Speaker 1: for his sons had been such that he had seen
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  Speaker 1: them about twice a year, and that when they had
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  Speaker 1: been ill he had promptly departed for London, because he
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  Speaker 1: would not be bored with doctors and nurses. It was
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  Speaker 1: a little trying, therefore, to his lordship's nerves to be told,
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  Speaker 1: while he looked on, his eyes gleaming from under his
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  Speaker 1: shaggy eyebrows, that he felt an interest in scarlet fever.
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  Speaker 1: You see, Higgins, broke in the Earl with a fine,
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  Speaker 1: grim smile, you people have been mistaken in me. Lord
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  Speaker 1: Fauntleroy understands me. When you want reliable information on the
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  Speaker 1: subject of my character, apply to him. Get into the carriage, Fauntleroy.
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  Speaker 1: And Fauntleroy jumped in, and the carriage rolled away down
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  Speaker 1: the green lane, and even when it turned the corner
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  Speaker 1: into the high road, the Earl was still grimly smiling.
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  Speaker 1: End of chapter 7