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LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY. I73 ee oe <= ee e And then he unfolded the letter and read as follows: (c DORINCOURT CASTLE ‘“ My dear Mr. Hobbs ‘““T write this in a great hury becaus 1 have something curous to tell you 1 know you will be very mutch suprised my dear frend when itel you. It is all a mistake and 1 am not a lord andi shall not have to be an earl there is a lady whitch was marid to my uncle bevis who is dead and she has a little boy and he 1s lord fauntleroy becaus that is the way it is in England the earls eldest sons little boy is the earl if every body elseis dead 1 mean if his farther and grandfarther are dead my grandfarther is not dead but my uncle bevis is and so his boy is lord Fauntleroy and 1 am not becaus my papa was the youngest son and my name is Cedric Errol like it was when 1 was in New York and all the things will belong to the other boy i thought at first 1 should have to give him my pony and cart but my grandfarther says i need not my grandfarther is very sorry and i think he does not like the lady but preaps he thinks dearest and 1 are sorry because i shall not be an earl i would like to be an earl now better than 1 thout 1 would at first becaus this is a beautifle castle and i like every body so and when you are rich you can do so many things i am not rich now becaus when your papa is only the youngest son he is not very rich i am going to learn to work so that 1 can take care of dearest i have been asking Wilkins about grooming horses preaps 1 might be a groom or a coachman. the lady brought her little boy to the castle and my grandfarther and Mr. Havisham talked to her i think she was angry she talked loud and my grandfarther was angry too i never saw him angry before i wish it did not make them all mad 1 thort i would tell you and Dick right away becaus you would be intrusted so no more at present with love from “ vour old frend ( CEDRIC ERROL (Not lord Fauntleroy).” Mr. Hobbs fell back in his chair, the letter dropped on his knee, his pen-knife slipped to the floor, and so did the envelope. c Well!” he ejaculated, "I am jiggered ! He was so dumfounded that he actually changed his exclamation. It had always been his habit to say, “I weé/ be jiggered, but this time he said, “I am jiggered.” Perhaps he really was jiggered. There is no knowing. c Well,” said Dick, "the whole thing "s bust up, has nt it?”
