8 Learning to Ride

CHAPTER 8 Learning to Ride The Earl of Dorincourt had the chance to wear his grim smile many times as the days passed. The more time he spent with Cedric, the more often he smiled. Sometimes his smile didn't even seem that grim. On the morning Cedric learned to ride his pony, the earl was so pleased, he almost forgot about his gout. Wilkins, the groom, had brought out the fine brown pony, and the earl had found a seat near his window so he could watch. This was Cedric's very first

riding lesson. The earl wondered if the boy would be scared and—like most children— start to cry. But Cedric did no such thing. He had never been on a pony before, and he was very excited. The groom had him sit in the saddle by himself. Then he slowly led the pony in front of the window so the earl could see. After a few minutes, Cedric spoke up to his grandfather. "Can't I go by myself?" he asked. "And can't I go faster? I want to trot and canter." "Do you think you could?" asked the earl. "I would like to try," said Cedric. "Then let him trot," the earl told Wilkins. The next few minutes were exciting. Cedric learned that trotting on the pony wasn't as easy as it looked. The faster the pony trotted, the harder it was. "It j-jolts a g-goo-good deal—does-doesn't

it?" he said. The earl watched him bounce past. Cedric's cheeks grew bright red. He looked like he was out of breath. But he held on, and he kept going. Then Cedric and Wilkins rode off into the trees. When they came back, the boy's cheeks were even redder. And his hat was missing. "What happened to your hat?" called the earl. Wilkins answered for him. "It fell off, your lordship. He wouldn't let me stop to pick it up." "Ready to get off?" the earl asked the boy. "It jolts you more than you think it will," admitted Cedric. "And it tires you a little, too. But I don't want to get off. I want to learn how to trot and canter faster. As soon as I catch my breath, I want to go back for the hat."

The boy was brave and determined, and the earl was impressed. He watched as Cedric and Wilkins trotted back into the trees. This time when they returned, they were riding much faster. And Wilkins had the lost hat. Cedric's hair was flying in the wind. "There," he said as he came to a stop under his grandfather's window. He was out of breath. "I cantered! I stayed on!" Cedric, Wilkins, and the pony were good friends after that. Almost every day they rode out together around the town. The children in the cottages would run out to wave to little Lord Fauntleroy. Cedric always shouted good morning and waved back. Once, Cedric insisted on stopping at the village school. He noticed a boy who had hurt his leg, and he wanted the boy to ride home on his pony instead of having to walk.

When they reached the boy's cottage, his mother came out to greet Cedric. Cedric whipped off his cap and waved. "I've brought your son home, ma'am," he said. "His leg was hurting him. I don't think that stick is enough for him to lean on. I'm going to ask my grandfather to buy a pair of crutches for him." When the earl heard about this, he wasn't angry. He was amused. A few days later, he even took Cedric to the boy's house in his carriage. Cedric leaped out to deliver the crutches, as promised. When the boy's mother answered the door, he said, "My grandfather's compliments. If you please, these are for your boy. We hope he will get better." Back in the carriage, he told the earl what he had said. "I said they were your compliments," he explained. "You didn't tell

me to say that, but I thought you forgot. That was the right thing to say, wasn't it?" The earl laughed, but he didn't say that it wasn't. Cedric also saw Dearest every day. Mostly, he was happy. But there was one thing that puzzled him. He thought about it a lot— even though he didn't talk about it to the earl or to Dearest. He thought it was strange that Dearest and his grandfather never seemed to meet. When the carriage stopped at Court Lodge, the earl never got out to greet her. On the rare Sundays when the earl went to church, Cedric always ended up speaking with his mother alone. And yet, fruit and flowers were sent to the lodge from the castle every day. And soon after the first Sunday, when Dearest had walked to church, the earl gave her a present.