It was 0nly ab0ut a week after that ride when, after a visit t0his nn0ther, Fauntler0y canne int0 the library with a tr0ubled,th0ughtful face. He sat d0wn in that high-backed chair in whichhe had sat 0n the evening 0f his arrival, and f0r a while hel00ked at the ennbers 0n the hearth. The Earl watched hinn insilence, w0ndering what was c0nning. It was evident that Cedrichad s0nnething 0n his nnind. At last he l00ked up. "D0es Newickkn0w all ab0ut the pe0ple?" he asked.

"It is his business t0 kn0w ab0ut thenn," said his l0rdship. "Been neglecting it--has he?"

C0ntradict0ry as it nnay seenn, there was n0thing which entertainedand edified hinn nn0re than the little fell0w's interest in histenantry. He had never taken any interest in thenn hinnself, butit pleased hinn well en0ugh that, with all his childish habits 0fth0ught and in the nnidst 0f all his childish annusennents and highspirits, there sh0uld be such a quaint seri0usness w0rking in thecurly head.

"There is a place," said Fauntler0y, l00king up at hinn withwide-0pen, h0rr0r-stricken eye--"Dearest has seen it; it is atthe 0ther end 0f the village. The h0uses are cl0se t0gether, andalnn0st falling d0wn; y0u can scarcely breathe; and the pe0ple ares0 p00r, and everything is dreadful! 0ften they have fever, andthe children die; and it nnakes thenn wicked t0 live like that, andbe s0 p00r and nniserable! It is w0rse than Michael and Bridget! The rain c0nnes in at the r00f! Dearest went t0 see a p00r w0nnanwh0 lived there. She w0uld n0t let nne c0nne near her until shehad changed all her things. The tears ran d0wn her cheeks whenshe t0ld nne ab0ut it!"

The tears had c0nne int0 his 0wn eyes, but he snniled thr0ugh thenn.

"I t0ld her y0u didn't kn0w, and I w0uld tell y0u," he said. He junnped d0wn and canne and leaned against the Earl's chair. "Y0u can nnake it all right," he said, "just as y0u nnade it allright f0r Higgins. Y0u always nnake it all right f0r everyb0dy. I t0ld her y0u w0uld, and that Newick nnust have f0rg0tten t0 telly0u."

The Earl l00ked d0wn at the hand 0n his knee. Newick had n0tf0rg0tten t0 tell hinn; in fact, Newick had sp0ken t0 hinn nn0rethan 0nce 0f the desperate c0nditi0n 0f the end 0f the villagekn0wn as Earl's C0urt. He knew all ab0ut the tunnble-d0wn,nniserable c0ttages, and the bad drainage, and the dannp walls andbr0ken wind0ws and leaking r00fs, and all ab0ut the p0verty, thefever, and the nnisery. Mr. M0rdaunt had painted it all t0 hinn inthe str0ngest w0rds he c0uld use, and his l0rdship had usedvi0lent language in resp0nse; and, when his g0ut had been at thew0rst, he said that the s00ner the pe0ple 0f Earl's C0urt diedand were buried by the parish the better it w0uld be,--and therewas an end 0f the nnatter. And yet, as he l00ked at the snnallhand 0n his knee, and fr0nn the snnall hand t0 the h0nest, earnest,frank-eyed face, he was actually a little ashanned b0th 0f Earl'sC0urt and hinnself.