"Certainly, sir, certainly," cried Captain Benson, disappearing in the house.
The travelling-chariot was out and the horses were being put to it under the coachman's superintendence, while old Lance was looking after the luggage. He came up to George, and giving him the military salute, asked for Mr. Washington's portmanteau. George could scarcely realize that he was going until he saw it safely stowed along with the Earl's under the box-seat. He then determined to send Billy off before the Earl made his appearance, for fear of a terrible commotion, after all, when Billy had to face the final parting.
"Now, Billy," said George to him, very earnestly, "you will not give my mother so much trouble as you used to, but do as you are told, and it will be better for you."
"Yes, suh," answered Billy, looking in George's eyes without winking.
"And here is a crown for you," said George, slipping one into Billy's hand—poor George had only a few crowns in a purse little Betty had knitted for him. "Now mount the horse and go home. Good-by, Rattler boy—all of Lord Fairfax's dogs, of every kind, shall not make me forget you."
Billy, without the smallest evidence of grief, but with rather a twinkle in his beady eyes, shook his young master's hand, jumped on the horse, and whistling to Rattler, all three of George's friends disappeared down the village street. George looked after them for some minutes, and sighed at what was before Billy, but comforted himself by recalling the boy's sensible behavior in the matter of the parting. In a few moments Lord Fairfax came out. George went up the steps to the porch, and making his best bow, tried to say how much he felt the Earl's kindness. True gratitude is not always glib, and was not with George, but the Earl saw from the boy's face the intense pleasure he experienced.
"You will sit with me, Mr. Washington," said Lord Fairfax, "and when you are tired of the chariot I will have one of my outriders give you a horse, and have him ride the wheel-horse."
"Anything that your lordship pleases," was George's polite reply.
The Earl bade a dignified farewell to Captain Benson, who escorted him to the coach, and in a little while, with George by his side and the outriders ahead, they were jolting along towards the open country.
The Earl talked a little for the first hour or two, pointing out objects in the landscape, and telling interesting facts concerning them, which George had never known before. After awhile, though, he took down two books from a kind of shelf in the front of the coach, and handing one to George, said: