“Dick is a boot-black,” said his young lordship, quite warming up in his interest in plans so exciting. “He is one of the nicest boot-blacks you ever knew. He stands at the corner of a street down town. I’ve known him for years. Once when I was very little, I was walking out with Dearest and she bought me a beautiful ball that bounced, and I was carrying it, and it bounced into the middle of the street where the carriages and horses were, and I was so disappointed, I began to cry—I was very little. Dick ran in between the horses and caught the ball for me and wiped it off with his coat and gave it to me and said; ’It’s all right, young [un.’] So Dearest admired him very much, and so did I, and ever since then, when we go down town, we talk to him.”
“And what would you like to do for him?” inquired the lawyer, rubbing his chin and smiling a queer smile.
“Well,” said Lord Fauntleroy, settling himself in his chair with a business air; “I’d buy Jake out.”
“And who is Jake?” Mr. Havisham asked.
“He’s Dick’s partner, and he is the worst partner a fellow could have! Dick says so. He isn’t a credit to the business, and he isn’t [square.] He cheats, and that makes Dick mad. So if I were rich, I’d buy Jake out and I’d get Dick some new clothes and new brushes, and [start him out fair.”]
“What would you get for yourself, if you were rich?” asked Mr. Havisham.
“Lots of things!” answered Lord Fauntleroy briskly: “but first I’d give Mary some money for Bridget—that’s her sister, with twelve children, and a husband out of work. And I think Mr. Hobbs would like a gold watch and chain to remember me by, and a [meerschaum] pipe.”
The door opened and Mrs. Errol came in.
“I am sorry to have been obliged to leave you so long,” she said to Mr. Havisham; “but a poor woman, who is in great trouble, came to see me.”
“This young gentleman,” said Mr. Havisham, “has been telling me about some of his friends, and what he would do for them if he were rich.”