Маленький Лорд Фаунтлерой. Уровень 1 / Little Lord Fauntleroy

Havisham in his friendly way when they were introduced to each other, and he answered all his questions with the unhesitating readiness[30 - unhesitating readiness – решительная готовность] with which he answered Mr. Hobbs.

That morning Mr. Havisham had quite a long conversation with Cedric. He asked Mrs. Errol to leave him and Cedric together. Mr. Havisham sat in an armchair on one side of the open window; on the other side was another still larger chair, and Cedric sat in that and looked at Mr. Havisham. There was a short silence after Mrs.

Errol went out, and Cedric seemed to be studying Mr. Havisham, and Mr. Havisham was certainly studying Cedric. He could not make up his mind as to what an elderly gentleman should say to a little boy, who wore short knickerbockers[31 - knickerbockers – бриджи] and red stockings on legs which were not long enough to hang over a big chair when he sat well back in it.

But Cedric relieved him by suddenly beginning the conversation himself.

“Do you know,” he said, “I don’t know what an earl is?”

“Don’t you?” said Mr.

Havisham.

“No,” replied Ceddie. “And I think when a boy is going to be one, he need to know it. Don’t you?”

“Well-yes,” answered Mr. Havisham.

“Would you mind,” said Ceddie respectfully-“would you mind explaining it to me? What made him an earl?”

“A king or queen, in the first place,” said Mr. Havisham. “Generally, he is made an earl because he has done some service to his sovereign[32 - sovereign – правитель], or some great deed[33 - deed – поступок, дело].

”

“Oh!” said Cedric; “that’s like the President.”

“Is it?” said Mr. Havisham. “Is that why your presidents are elected?”

“Yes,” answered Ceddie cheerfully. “When a man is very good and knows a great deal, he is elected president. They have torch-light processions and bands, and everybody makes speeches. I used to think I might perhaps be a president, but I never thought of being an earl. I didn’t know about earls,”

“It is rather different from being a president,” said Mr.

Havisham.

“Is it?” asked Cedric. “How? Are there no torch-light processions?”

Mr. Havisham crossed his own legs and put the tips of his fingers carefully together. He thought perhaps the time had come to explain matters rather more clearly.

“An earl is-is a very important person,” he began.

“So is a president!” put in Ceddie. “The torch-light processions are five miles long, and they shoot up rockets, and the band plays! Mr.