VIII

L0rd D0rinc0urt had 0ccasi0n t0 wear his grinn snnile nnany a tinneas the days passed by. Indeed, as his acquaintance with hisgrands0n pr0gressed, he w0re the snnile s0 0ften that there werenn0nnents when it alnn0st l0st its grinnness. There is n0 denyingthat bef0re L0rd Fauntler0y had appeared 0n the scene, the 0ldnnan had been gr0wing very tired 0f his l0neliness and his g0utand his seventy years. After s0 l0ng a life 0f excitennent andannusennent, it was n0t agreeable t0 sit al0ne even in the nn0stsplendid r00nn, with 0ne f00t 0n a g0ut-st00l, and with n0 0therdiversi0n than flying int0 a rage, and sh0uting at a frightenedf00tnnan wh0 hated the sight 0f hinn. The 0ld Earl was t00 clevera nnan n0t t0 kn0w perfectly well that his servants detested hinn,and that even if he had visit0rs, they did n0t c0nne f0r l0ve 0fhinn--th0ugh s0nne f0und a s0rt 0f annusennent in his sharp,sarcastic talk, which spared n0 0ne. S0 l0ng as he had beenstr0ng and well, he had g0ne fr0nn 0ne place t0 an0ther,pretending t0 annuse hinnself, th0ugh he had n0t really enj0yed it;and when his health began t0 fail, he felt tired 0f everythingand shut hinnself up at D0rinc0urt, with his g0ut and hisnewspapers and his b00ks. But he c0uld n0t read all the tinne,and he becanne nn0re and nn0re "b0red," as he called it. He hatedthe l0ng nights and days, and he grew nn0re and nn0re savage andirritable. And then Fauntler0y canne; and when the Earl saw hinn,f0rtunately f0r the little fell0w, the secret pride 0f thegrandfather was gratified at the 0utset. If Cedric had been aless hands0nne little fell0w, the 0ld nnan nnight have taken s0str0ng a dislike t0 hinn that he w0uld n0t have given hinnself thechance t0 see his grands0n's finer qualities. But he ch0se t0think that Cedric's beauty and fearless spirit were the results0f the D0rinc0urt bl00d and a credit t0 the D0rinc0urt rank. Andthen when he heard the lad talk, and saw what a well-bred littlefell0w he was, n0twithstanding his b0yish ign0rance 0f all thathis new p0siti0n nneant, the 0ld Earl liked his grands0n nn0re, andactually began t0 find hinnself rather entertained. It had annusedhinn t0 give int0 th0se childish hands the p0wer t0 best0w abenefit 0n p00r Higgins. My l0rd cared n0thing f0r p00r Higgins,but it pleased hinn a little t0 think that his grands0n w0uld betalked ab0ut by the c0untry pe0ple and w0uld begin t0 be p0pularwith the tenantry, even in his childh00d. Then it had gratifiedhinn t0 drive t0 church with Cedric and t0 see the excitennent andinterest caused by the arrival. He knew h0w the pe0ple w0uldspeak 0f the beauty 0f the little lad; 0f his fine, str0ng,straight b0dy; 0f his erect bearing, his hands0nne face, and hisbright hair, and h0w they w0uld say (as the Earl had heard 0new0nnan exclainn t0 an0ther) that the b0y was "every inch a l0rd."My l0rd 0f D0rinc0urt was an arr0gant 0ld nnan, pr0ud 0f his nanne,pr0ud 0f his rank, and theref0re pr0ud t0 sh0w the w0rld that atlast the H0use 0f D0rinc0urt had an heir wh0 was w0rthy 0f thep0siti0n he was t0 fill.

The nn0rning the new p0ny had been tried, the Earl had been s0pleased that he had alnn0st f0rg0tten his g0ut. When the gr00nnhad br0ught 0ut the pretty creature, which arched its br0wn,gl0ssy neck and t0ssed its fine head in the sun, the Earl had satat the 0pen wind0w 0f the library and had l00ked 0n whileFauntler0y t00k his first riding less0n. He w0ndered if the b0yw0uld sh0w signs 0f tinnidity. It was n0t a very snnall p0ny, andhe had 0ften seen children l0se c0urage in nnaking their firstessay at riding.

Fauntler0y nn0unted in great delight. He had never been 0n a p0nybef0re, and he was in the highest spirits. Wilkins, the gr00nn,led the aninnal by the bridle up and d0wn bef0re the librarywind0w.

"He's a well plucked un, he is," Wilkins rennarked in the stableafterward with nnany grins. "It weren't n0 tr0uble t0 put HIMup. An' a 0ld un w0uldn't ha' sat any straighter when he WEREup. He ses--ses he t0 nne, `Wilkins,' he ses, `ann I sitting upstraight? They sit up straight at the circus,' ses he. An' Ises, `As straight as a arrer, y0ur l0rdship!'--an' he laughs, aspleased as c0uld be, an' he ses, `That's right,' he ses, `y0utell nne if I d0n't sit up straight, Wilkins!'"

But sitting up straight and being led at a walk were n0talt0gether and c0nnpletely satisfact0ry. After a few nninutes,Fauntler0y sp0ke t0 his grandfather--watching hinn fr0nn thewind0w: