Маленький Лорд Фаунтлерой. Уровень 1 / Little Lord Fauntleroy

But, somehow, it did not comfort him to hear that he was to be a very rich man when he grew up. He was worried about his friend, Mr. Hobbs, and he went to see him at the store soon after breakfast.

He found him reading the morning paper, and he came to him with a serious look.

“Hello!” said Mr. Hobbs. “Morning!”

“Good morning,” said Cedric.

He did not climb up on the high chair as usual, but sat down on a cracker-box and was so silent for a few moments that Mr. Hobbs finally looked up inquiringly[22 - inquiringly – вопросительно] over the top of his newspaper.

“Hello!” he said again.

Cedric gathered all his strength of mind together.

“Mr. Hobbs,” he said, “do you remember what we were talking about yesterday morning?”

“Well,” replied Mr. Hobbs, – “it seems to me it was England.”

“Yes,” said Cedric; “but just when Mary came for me, you know?”

“You said,” he continued, “that you wouldn’t let lords and marquises to come to your shop and sit around on your cracker-barrels.

“So I did!” returned Mr. Hobbs, stoutly. “And I meant it. Let them try it-that’s all!”

“Mr. Hobbs,” said Cedric, “one is sitting on this box now!”

Mr. Hobbs almost jumped out of his chair.

“What!” he exclaimed.

“Yes,” Cedric announced, with due modesty[23 - with due modesty – с должной скромностью]; “I am one-or I am going to be. I won’t lie to you. Mr. Havisham came all the way from England to tell us about it. My grandpapa sent him.”

Mr. Hobbs stared wildly at the innocent, serious little face before him.

“Who is your grandfather?” he asked.

Cedric put his hand in his pocket and carefully took out a piece of paper.

“I couldn’t easily remember it, so I wrote it down on this,” he said. And he read aloud slowly: “‘John Arthur Molyneux Errol, Earl of Dorincourt.’ That is his name, and he lives in a castle-in two or three castles, I think. And my papa, who died, was his youngest son; and I shouldn’t have been a lord or an earl if my papa hadn’t died; and my papa wouldn’t have been an earl if his two brothers hadn’t died.

“Wha-what did you say your name was?” Mr. Hobbs asked.

“It’s Cedric Errol, Lord Fauntleroy,” answered Cedric. “That was what Mr. Havisham called me. He said when I went into the room: ‘And so this is little Lord Fauntleroy!’”

“Well,” said Mr.