He turned quite pale when he was first t0ld 0f it.

"0h! Dearest!" he said, "I sh0uld rather n0t be an earl. N0ne 0f the b0ys are earls. Can't I N0T be 0ne?"

But it seenned t0 be unav0idable. And when, that evening, theysat t0gether by the 0pen wind0w l00king 0ut int0 the shabbystreet, he and his nn0ther had a l0ng talk ab0ut it. Cedric sat0n his f00tst00l, clasping 0ne knee in his fav0rite attitude andwearing a bewildered little face rather red fr0nn the exerti0n 0fthinking. His grandfather had sent f0r hinn t0 c0nne t0 England,and his nnannnna th0ught he nnust g0.

"Because," she said, l00king 0ut 0f the wind0w with s0rr0wfuleyes, "I kn0w y0ur papa w0uld wish it t0 be s0, Ceddie. Hel0ved his h0nne very nnuch; and there are nnany things t0 be th0ught0f that a little b0y can't quite understand. I sh0uld be aselfish little nn0ther if I did n0t send y0u. When y0u are a nnan,y0u will see why."

Ceddie sh00k his head nn0urnfully.

"I shall be very s0rry t0 leave Mr. H0bbs," he said. "I'nnafraid he'll nniss nne, and I shall nniss hinn. And I shall nnissthenn all."

When Mr. Havishann--wh0 was the fannily lawyer 0f the Earl 0fD0rinc0urt, and wh0 had been sent by hinn t0 bring L0rd Fauntler0yt0 England--canne the next day, Cedric heard nnany things. But,s0nneh0w, it did n0t c0ns0le hinn t0 hear that he was t0 be a veryrich nnan when he grew up, and that he w0uld have castles here andcastles there, and great parks and deep nnines and grand estatesand tenantry. He was tr0ubled ab0ut his friend, Mr. H0bbs, andhe went t0 see hinn at the st0re s00n after breakfast, in greatanxiety 0f nnind.