He put his hand into his pocket and drew forth a neatly folded red object and opened it with an air of affectionate pride. It was the red silk handkerchief with the large purple horse-shoes and heads on it.
“He gave me this,” said his young lordship. “I shall keep it always. You can wear it round your neck or keep it in your pocket. It’s a keepsake. I put some poetry in Mr. Hobbs’ watch. It was, ’When this you see, remember me.’ When this I see, I shall always remember Dick.”
The sensation of the Right Honourable the Earl of Dorincourt could scarcely be described.
He could not help seeing that the little boy took him for a friend and treated him as one, without having any doubt of him at all. It was quite [plain] as the little fellow sat there in his tall chair and talked in his friendly way that it had never occurred to him that this large, fierce-looking old man could be anything but kind to him, and rather pleased to see him there. And it was plain, too, that, in his childish way, he wished to please and interest his grandfather. Cross, and hard-hearted, and [worldly] as the old Earl was, he could not help feeling a secret and novel pleasure in this very confidence.
So the old man leaned back in his chair, and led his young companion on to telling him still more of himself, and with that odd gleam in his eyes watched the little fellow as he talked. Lord Fauntleroy was quite willing to answer all his questions and chatted on in his [genial] little way quite composedly. He told him all about Dick, and the apple-woman, and Mr. Hobbs. In the course of the conversation, he reached the Fourth of July and the Revolution, and was just becoming enthusiastic, when dinner was announced.
Cedric left his chair and went to his noble kinsman. He looked down at his gouty foot.
“Would you like me to help you?” he said politely. “You could lean on me, you know. Once when Mr. Hobbs hurt his foot with a potato-barrel rolling on it, he used to lean on me.”
The Earl looked his valiant young relative over from head to foot.
“Do you think you could do it?” he asked gruffly.
“I think I could,” said Cedric. “I’m strong. I’m seven, you know. You could lean on your stick on one side, and on me on the other.”