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Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Chapter 2 (4)

Chapter 2 (4)

When he first told Mrs. Errol what he had come for, she turned very pale.

"Oh!" she said; "will he have to be taken away from me? We love each other so much! He is such a happiness to me! He is all I have. I have tried to be a good mother to him." And her sweet young voice trembled, and the tears rushed into her eyes. "You do not know what he has been to me!" she said.

The lawyer cleared his throat.

"I am obliged to tell you," he said, "that the Earl of Dorincourt is not--is not very friendly toward you. He is an old man, and his prejudices are very strong. He has always especially disliked America and Americans, and was very much enraged by his son's marriage. I am sorry to be the bearer of so unpleasant a communication, but he is very fixed in his determination not to see you. His plan is that Lord Fauntleroy shall be educated under his own supervision; that he shall live with him. The Earl is attached to Dorincourt Castle, and spends a great deal of time there. He is a victim to inflammatory gout, and is not fond of London. Lord Fauntleroy will, therefore, be likely to live chiefly at Dorincourt. The Earl offers you as a home Court Lodge, which is situated pleasantly, and is not very far from the castle. He also offers you a suitable income. Lord Fauntleroy will be permitted to visit you; the only stipulation is, that you shall not visit him or enter the park gates. You see you will not be really separated from your son, and I assure you, madam, the terms are not so harsh as--as they might have been. The advantage of such surroundings and education as Lord Fauntleroy will have, I am sure you must see, will be very great." He felt a little uneasy lest she should begin to cry or make a scene, as he knew some women would have done. It embarrassed and annoyed him to see women cry.

But she did not. She went to the window and stood with her face turned away for a few moments, and he saw she was trying to steady herself.

"Captain Errol was very fond of Dorincourt," she said at last. "He loved England, and everything English. It was always a grief to him that he was parted from his home. He was proud of his home, and of his name. He would wish--I know he would wish that his son should know the beautiful old places, and be brought up in such a way as would be suitable to his future position." Then she came back to the table and stood looking up at Mr. Havisham very gently.

"My husband would wish it," she said. "It will be best for my little boy. I know--I am sure the Earl would not be so unkind as to try to teach him not to love me; and I know--even if he tried--that my little boy is too much like his father to be harmed. He has a warm, faithful nature, and a true heart. He would love me even if he did not see me; and so long as we may see each other, I ought not to suffer very much." "She thinks very little of herself," the lawyer thought. "She does not make any terms for herself." "Madam," he said aloud, "I respect your consideration for your son. He will thank you for it when he is a man. I assure you Lord Fauntleroy will be most carefully guarded, and every effort will be used to insure his happiness. The Earl of Dorincourt will be as anxious for his comfort and well-being as you yourself could be." "I hope," said the tender little mother, in a rather broken voice, "that his grandfather will love Ceddie. The little boy has a very affectionate nature; and he has always been loved." Mr. Havisham cleared his throat again. He could not quite imagine the gouty, fiery-tempered old Earl loving any one very much; but he knew it would be to his interest to be kind, in his irritable way, to the child who was to be his heir. He knew, too, that if Ceddie were at all a credit to his name, his grandfather would be proud of him.

"Lord Fauntleroy will be comfortable, I am sure," he replied. "It was with a view to his happiness that the Earl desired that you should be near enough to him to see him frequently." He did not think it would be discreet to repeat the exact words the Earl had used, which were in fact neither polite nor amiable.

Mr. Havisham preferred to express his noble patron's offer in smoother and more courteous language.

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Chapter 2 (4) Kapitel 2 (4) Розділ 2 (4)

When he first told Mrs. Errol what he had come for, she turned very pale. Als er Mrs. Errol zum ersten Mal erzählte, weshalb er gekommen war, wurde sie sehr blass. Quando disse per la prima volta alla signora Errol il motivo per cui era venuto, lei impallidì molto.

"Oh!" she said; "will he have to be taken away from me? We love each other so much! He is such a happiness to me! Er ist ein solches Glück für mich! He is all I have. I have tried to be a good mother to him." And her sweet young voice trembled, and the tears rushed into her eyes. Und ihre süße junge Stimme zitterte, und die Tränen stiegen ihr in die Augen. "You do not know what he has been to me!" "Du weißt nicht, was er für mich bedeutet hat!" "Non sai cosa è stato per me!". she said.

The lawyer cleared his throat. Der Anwalt räusperte sich. L'avvocato si schiarì la gola.

"I am obliged to tell you," he said, "that the Earl of Dorincourt is not--is not very friendly toward you. He is an old man, and his prejudices are very strong. He has always especially disliked America and Americans, and was very much enraged by his son's marriage. I am sorry to be the bearer of so unpleasant a communication, but he is very fixed in his determination not to see you. Mi dispiace essere latore di una comunicazione così spiacevole, ma è molto determinato a non vedervi. His plan is that Lord Fauntleroy shall be educated under his own supervision; that he shall live with him. The Earl is attached to Dorincourt Castle, and spends a great deal of time there. Il conte è legato al castello di Dorincourt e vi trascorre molto tempo. He is a victim to inflammatory gout, and is not fond of London. Er leidet an entzündlicher Gicht und mag London nicht besonders. È vittima della gotta infiammatoria e non ama Londra. Lord Fauntleroy will, therefore, be likely to live chiefly at Dorincourt. Lord Fauntleroy vivrà quindi principalmente a Dorincourt. The Earl offers you as a home Court Lodge, which is situated pleasantly, and is not very far from the castle. Il Conte vi offre come dimora la Court Lodge, situata in una posizione piacevole e non molto distante dal castello. He also offers you a suitable income. Vi offre anche un reddito adeguato. Lord Fauntleroy will be permitted to visit you; the only stipulation is, that you shall not visit him or enter the park gates. Lord Fauntleroy avrà il permesso di farvi visita; l'unica clausola è che non dovrete andare a trovarlo o entrare nel parco. You see you will not be really separated from your son, and I assure you, madam, the terms are not so harsh as--as they might have been. Vedete che non sarete davvero separati da vostro figlio e vi assicuro, signora, che le condizioni non sono così dure come avrebbero potuto essere. The advantage of such surroundings and education as Lord Fauntleroy will have, I am sure you must see, will be very great." Il vantaggio di un ambiente e di un'educazione come quella che riceverà Lord Fauntleroy, sono certo che lo vedrete, sarà molto grande". He felt a little uneasy lest she should begin to cry or make a scene, as he knew some women would have done. Si sentì un po' a disagio per il timore che lei cominciasse a piangere o a fare scenate, come sapeva che avrebbero fatto alcune donne. It embarrassed and annoyed him to see women cry. Lo imbarazzava e lo infastidiva vedere le donne piangere.

But she did not. She went to the window and stood with her face turned away for a few moments, and he saw she was trying to steady herself. Lei si avvicinò alla finestra e rimase per qualche istante con il viso rivolto verso l'esterno, e lui vide che stava cercando di stabilizzarsi.

"Captain Errol was very fond of Dorincourt," she said at last. "He loved England, and everything English. It was always a grief to him that he was parted from his home. È sempre stato un dolore per lui separarsi dalla sua casa. He was proud of his home, and of his name. He would wish--I know he would wish that his son should know the beautiful old places, and be brought up in such a way as would be suitable to his future position." Lui vorrebbe... so che vorrebbe che suo figlio conoscesse i bellissimi luoghi antichi e che venisse educato in modo tale da essere adatto alla sua futura posizione". Then she came back to the table and stood looking up at Mr. Havisham very gently.

"My husband would wish it," she said. "It will be best for my little boy. I know--I am sure the Earl would not be so unkind as to try to teach him not to love me; and I know--even if he tried--that my little boy is too much like his father to be harmed. So - sono sicura che il Conte non sarebbe così scortese da cercare di insegnargli a non amarmi; e so - anche se ci provasse - che il mio bambino è troppo simile a suo padre per essere danneggiato. He has a warm, faithful nature, and a true heart. Ha una natura calda e fedele e un cuore sincero. He would love me even if he did not see me; and so long as we may see each other, I ought not to suffer very much." Mi amerebbe anche se non mi vedesse; e finché ci vedremo, non dovrò soffrire molto". "She thinks very little of herself," the lawyer thought. "She does not make any terms for herself." "Madam," he said aloud, "I respect your consideration for your son. He will thank you for it when he is a man. I assure you Lord Fauntleroy will be most carefully guarded, and every effort will be used to insure his happiness. Vi assicuro che Lord Fauntleroy sarà sorvegliato con la massima attenzione e che sarà fatto ogni sforzo per assicurare la sua felicità. The Earl of Dorincourt will be as anxious for his comfort and well-being as you yourself could be." "I hope," said the tender little mother, in a rather broken voice, "that his grandfather will love Ceddie. "Spero", disse la tenera madre, con voce un po' rotta, "che il nonno voglia bene a Ceddie. The little boy has a very affectionate nature; and he has always been loved." Mr. Havisham cleared his throat again. He could not quite imagine the gouty, fiery-tempered old Earl loving any one very much; but he knew it would be to his interest to be kind, in his irritable way, to the child who was to be his heir. He knew, too, that if Ceddie were at all a credit to his name, his grandfather would be proud of him. Sapeva anche che se Ceddie avesse fatto onore al suo nome, suo nonno sarebbe stato orgoglioso di lui.

"Lord Fauntleroy will be comfortable, I am sure," he replied. "It was with a view to his happiness that the Earl desired that you should be near enough to him to see him frequently." He did not think it would be discreet to repeat the exact words the Earl had used, which were in fact neither polite nor amiable. Non pensò che sarebbe stato discreto ripetere le esatte parole usate dal conte, che in effetti non erano né educate né amabili.

Mr. Havisham preferred to express his noble patron's offer in smoother and more courteous language.