And little Lenny gazed on them, turning his blue eyes from one to another, not in fear, but in wonder and curiosity. Sometimes he was so much amused by their excitement that he laughed aloud.
But he was as a little prince, king, or god among these poor creatures, and he knew it. For when Red Roger unclasped and snatched his elegant pearl and turquoise necklace from his neck, he suddenly put out his chubby hand and snatched it back—so suddenly and unexpectedly that he actually gained possession of it again before the slow and lumbering brute could prevent him. And after he did so he fixed his eyes indignantly upon the thief, and said:
“Man! how dare you tate ’hings ’out leave?”
And it was delicious to see the air of authority and confidence with which the baby-boy put this question.
And why not? Had he not been permitted to rule over his mother and cousins, and even over his godfather, the veteran General, who was the greatest man he knew in the world? and should he not rule over these poor creatures? And besides, I think that Master Leonard Lyon, while inheriting all the graces and virtues of his ancient house, inherited some of its faults as well, and among the latter that inordinate pride of caste which is so very objectionable in this republican age, and that he looked upon this order of human creatures as rather lower in the scale of being than well-bred cattle. So, captive and helpless as he was, he looked around upon them with queerly mixed feelings of wonder, mirth, pity and disapprobation, but without a particle of fear.
As for the red-haired ruffian, he was so astonished by the words and actions of the baby-boy, that he could but open his mouth and eyes and stare. He did not attempt to recover the necklace; but of course he knew that the child and his jewels were both in his power all the same.
Lenny, after staring at him for a moment and receiving no answer to his unanswerable question, turned to the gipsy-looking girl and asked:
“What you name, dirl?”
“Meg,” answered the girl, smiling kindly on the child.
“Met, you tate dis and teep it for Lenny. Me name Lenny,” he said, handing her the necklace.