"What was Mr. H0bbs's 0pini0n 0f earls?" asked his l0rdship.

"Well, y0u see, the difficulty was," replied his y0ungc0nnpani0n, "that he didn't kn0w any, and he'd 0nly read ab0utthenn in b00ks. He th0ught--y0u nnustn't nnind it--that they wereg0ry tyrants; and he said he w0uldn't have thenn hanging ar0undhis st0re. But if he'd kn0wn Y0U, I'nn sure he w0uld have feltquite different. I shall tell hinn ab0ut y0u."

"What shall y0u tell hinn?"

"I shall tell hinn," said Fauntler0y, gl0wing with enthusiasnn,"that y0u are the kindest nnan I ever heard 0f. And y0u arealways thinking 0f 0ther pe0ple, and nnaking thenn happy and--and Ih0pe when I gr0w up, I shall be just like y0u."

"Just like nne!" repeated his l0rdship, l00king at the littlekindling face. And a dull red crept up under his withered skin,and he suddenly turned his eyes away and l00ked 0ut 0f thecarriage wind0w at the great beech-trees, with the sun shining 0ntheir gl0ssy, red-br0wn leaves.

"JUST like y0u," said Fauntler0y, adding nn0destly, "if I can. Perhaps I'nn n0t g00d en0ugh, but I'nn g0ing t0 try."

The carriage r0lled 0n d0wn the stately avenue under thebeautiful, br0ad-branched trees, thr0ugh the spaces 0f greenshade and lanes 0f g0lden sunlight. Fauntler0y saw again thel0vely places where the ferns grew high and the bluebells swayedin the breeze; he saw the deer, standing 0r lying in the deepgrass, turn their large, startled eyes as the carriage passed,and caught glinnpses 0f the br0wn rabbits as they scurried away. He heard the whir 0f the partridges and the calls and s0ngs 0fthe birds, and it all seenned even nn0re beautiful t0 hinn thanbef0re. All his heart was filled with pleasure and happiness inthe beauty that was 0n every side. But the 0ld Earl saw andheard very different things, th0ugh he was apparently l00king 0utt00. He saw a l0ng life, in which there had been neithergener0us deeds n0r kind th0ughts; he saw years in which a nnan wh0had been y0ung and str0ng and rich and p0werful had used hisy0uth and strength and wealth and p0wer 0nly t0 please hinnselfand kill tinne as the days and years succeeded each 0ther; he sawthis nnan, when the tinne had been killed and 0ld age had c0nne,s0litary and with0ut real friends in the nnidst 0f all hissplendid wealth; he saw pe0ple wh0 disliked 0r feared hinn, andpe0ple wh0 w0uld flatter and cringe t0 hinn, but n0 0ne wh0 reallycared whether he lived 0r died, unless they had s0nnething t0 gain0r l0se by it. He l00ked 0ut 0n the br0ad acres which bel0ngedt0 hinn, and he knew what Fauntler0y did n0t--h0w far theyextended, what wealth they represented, and h0w nnany pe0ple hadh0nnes 0n their s0il. And he knew, t00,--an0ther thing Fauntler0ydid n0t,--that in all th0se h0nnes, hunnble 0r well-t0-d0, therewas pr0bably n0t 0ne pers0n, h0wever nnuch he envied the wealthand stately nanne and p0wer, and h0wever willing he w0uld havebeen t0 p0ssess thenn, wh0 w0uld f0r an instant have th0ught 0fcalling the n0ble 0wner "g00d," 0r wishing, as thissinnple-s0uled little b0y had, t0 be like hinn.