Chapter XIV

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

　　It is astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderfulthings to happen. It had taken only a few minutes, apparently,to change all the fortunes of the little boy dangling his redlegs from the high stool in Mr. Hobbs's store, and to transformhim from a small boy, living the simplest life in a quiet street,into an English nobleman, the heir to an earldom and magnificentwealth. It had taken only a few minutes, apparently, to changehim from an English nobleman into a penniless little impostor,with no right to any of the splendors he had been enjoying. And,surprising as it may appear, it did not take nearly so long atime as one might have expected, to alter the face of everythingagain and to give back to him all that he had been in danger oflosing.It took the less time because, after all, the woman who hadcalled herself Lady Fauntleroy was not nearly so clever as shewas wicked; and when she had been closely pressed by Mr.Havisham's questions about her marriage and her boy, she had madeone or two blunders which had caused suspicion to be awakened;and then she had lost her presence of mind and her temper, and inher excitement and anger had betrayed herself still further. Allthe mistakes she made were about her child. There seemed nodoubt that she had been married to Bevis, Lord Fauntleroy, andhad quarreled with him and had been paid to keep away from him;but Mr. Havisham found out that her story of the boy's being bornin a certain part of London was false; and just when they allwere in the midst of the commotion caused by this discovery,there came the letter from the young lawyer in New York, and Mr.Hobbs's letters also.What an evening it was when those letters arrived, and when Mr.Havisham and the Earl sat and talked their plans over in thelibrary!"After my first three meetings with her," said Mr. Havisham,"I began to suspect her strongly. It appeared to me that thechild was older than she said he was, and she made a slip inspeaking of the date of his birth and then tried to patch thematter up. The story these letters bring fits in with several ofmy suspicions. Our best plan will be to cable at once for thesetwo Tiptons,--say nothing about them to her,--and suddenlyconfront her with them when she is not expecting it. She is onlya very clumsy plotter, after all. My opinion is that she will befrightened out of her wits, and will betray herself on thespot."And that was what actually happened. She was told nothing, andMr. Havisham kept her from suspecting anything by continuing tohave interviews with her, in which he assured her he wasinvestigating her statements; and she really began to feel sosecure that her spirits rose immensely and she began to be asinsolent as might have been expected.But one fine morning, as she sat in her sitting-room at the inncalled "The Dorincourt Arms," making some very fine plans forherself, Mr. Havisham was announced; and when he entered, he wasfollowed by no less than three persons--one was a sharp-faced boyand one was a big young man and the third was the Earl ofDorincourt.She sprang to her feet and actually uttered a cry of terror. Itbroke from her before she had time to check it. She had thoughtof these new-comers as being thousands of miles away, when shehad ever thought of them at all, which she had scarcely done foryears. She had never expected to see them again. It must beconfessed that Dick grinned a little when he saw her."Hello, Minna!" he said.The big young man--who was Ben--stood still a minute and lookedat her."Do you know her?" Mr. Havisham asked, glancing from one to theother."Yes," said Ben. "I know her and she knows me." And heturned his back on her and went and stood looking out of thewindow, as if the sight of her was hateful to him, as indeed itwas. Then the woman, seeing herself so baffled and exposed, lostall control over herself and flew into such a rage as Ben andDick had often seen her in before. Dick grinned a trifle more ashe watched her and heard the names she called them all and theviolent threats she made, but Ben did not turn to look at her."I can swear to her in any court," he said to Mr. Havisham,"and I can bring a dozen others who will. Her father is arespectable sort of man, though he's low down in the world. Hermother was just like herself. She's dead, but he's alive, andhe's honest enough to be ashamed of her. He'll tell you who sheis, and whether she married me or not"Then he clenched his hand suddenly and turned on her."Where's the child?" he demanded. "He's going with me! He isdone with you, and so am I!"And just as he finished saying the words, the door leading intothe bedroom opened a little, and the boy, probably attracted bythe sound of the loud voices, looked in. He was not a handsomeboy, but he had rather a nice face, and he was quite like Ben,his father, as any one could see, and there was thethree-cornered scar on his chin.Ben walked up to him and took his hand, and his own wastrembling."Yes," he said, "I could swear to him, too. Tom," he said tothe little fellow, "I'm your father; I've come to take you away.Where's your hat?"The boy pointed to where it lay on a chair. It evidently ratherpleased him to hear that he was going away. He had been soaccustomed to queer experiences that it did not surprise him tobe told by a stranger that he was his father. He objected somuch to the woman who had come a few months before to the placewhere he had lived since his babyhood, and who had suddenlyannounced that she was his mother, that he was quite ready for achange. Ben took up the hat and marched to the door."If you want me again," he said to Mr. Havisham, "you knowwhere to find me."He walked out of the room, holding the child's hand and notlooking at the woman once. She was fairly raving with fury, andthe Earl was calmly gazing at her through his eyeglasses, whichhe had quietly placed upon his aristocratic, eagle nose."Come, come, my young woman," said Mr. Havisham. "This won'tdo at all. If you don't want to be locked up, you really mustbehave yourself."And there was something so very business-like in his tones that,probably feeling that the safest thing she could do would be toget out of the way, she gave him one savage look and dashed pasthim into the next room and slammed the door."We shall have no more trouble with her," said Mr. Havisham.And he was right; for that very night she left the DorincourtArms and took the train to London, and was seen no more.When the Earl left the room after the interview, he went at onceto his carriage."To Court Lodge," he said to Thomas."To Court Lodge," said Thomas to the coachman as he mounted thebox; "an' you may depend on it, things are taking a uniggspectedturn."When the carriage stopped at Court Lodge, Cedric was in thedrawing-room with his mother.The Earl came in without being announced. He looked an inch orso taller, and a great many years younger. His deep eyesflashed."Where," he said, "is Lord Fauntleroy?"Mrs. Errol came forward, a flush rising to her cheek."Is it Lord Fauntleroy?" she asked. "Is it, indeed!"The Earl put out his hand and grasped hers."Yes," he answered, "it is."Then he put his other hand on Cedric's shoulder."Fauntleroy," he said in his unceremonious, authoritative way,"ask your mother when she will come to us at the Castle."Fauntleroy flung his arms around his mother's neck."To live with us!" he cried. "To live with us always!"The Earl looked at Mrs. Errol, and Mrs. Errol looked at the Earl.His lordship was entirely in earnest. He had made up his mind towaste no time in arranging this matter. He had begun to think itwould suit him to make friends with his heir's mother."Are you quite sure you want me?" said Mrs. Errol, with hersoft, pretty smile."Quite sure," he said bluntly. "We have always wanted you,but we were not exactly aware of it. We hope you will come."