9 The Poor Cottages

CHAPTER 9 The Poor Cottages Pride gave the Earl of Dorincourt a new interest in life. He was proud of his grandson's beauty and bravery. And since Cedric was his heir, it made him look good. The whole world had known of his disappointment with his own sons. Now he wanted to show Cedric off to the world. The new Lord Fauntleroy could disappoint no one. Sometimes, in secret, the earl thought back to his life before Cedric had come into it. He

第九章穷屋骄傲使多林科特伯爵对生活产生了新的兴趣。 他为孙子的美貌和勇敢感到骄傲。 因为塞德里克是他的继承人，这让他看起来很好。 全世界都知道他对自己儿子的失望。 现在他想把塞德里克展示给全世界。 新的方特勒罗伊勋爵不会让任何人失望。 有时，伯爵会偷偷地回想塞德里克到来之前的生活。 他

wished he had been a better person. There were some things about the earl that Cedric's pure heart would shrink from, if he knew the truth. For years the earl had been called the "Wicked Earl of Dorincourt." It made him nervous to think that someone might tell Cedric about this. He never wanted the boy to find out. The earl also found that he liked spending time with the boy. Days would go by, and he would forget about his gout. Even the doctor said his health was better than ever expected. One morning, Cedric came by on his pony. He looked up at the window where his grandfather often sat to watch. "I wish you were going with me," he called. "I don't like to leave you all alone in the big castle. It must be so lonely." At that, the earl surprised everyone. He

希望他是个更好的人。 如果塞德里克知道了真相，他那颗纯洁的心会对伯爵的一些事情退缩的。 多年来，伯爵一直被称为“邪恶的多林科特伯爵”。 一想到有人会把这件事告诉塞德里克，他就很紧张。 他不想让孩子发现。 伯爵还发现他喜欢和这个男孩在一起。 日子一天天过去，他渐渐忘记了痛风。 就连医生也说他的健康状况比预期的要好。 一天早上，塞德里克骑着他的小马过来了。 他抬头看了看祖父经常坐着看的窗户。 “我希望你能和我一起去。”他喊道。 “我不喜欢把你一个人留在大城堡里。 那一定很寂寞。”听了这话，伯爵使大家都吃了一惊。 他

went to the stables and insisted that the groom prepare his horse. Soon enough, Lord Fauntleroy was riding his pony with a new companion, his grandfather. It was quite a sight. There was the tall, powerful, gray horse carrying the tall, gray old man. And beside it was the little brown pony that carried the little blond boy. The two chatted as they went out riding along the green lanes and the pretty country roads. Cedric talked about a great many things— especially his mother. Gradually, the old man learned a lot about "Dearest" and her life. It didn't displease him to learn that she was quite busy around town. Whenever anybody needed help, she was there. When there was sickness or sorrow or poverty in any house, she went to visit. Some people even visited her at Court Lodge to learn how to sew.

我去马厩，坚持让马夫准备好他的马。 很快，方特勒罗伊勋爵骑着他的小马和一个新伙伴，他的祖父。 那真是一幅壮观的景象。那匹高大有力的灰马驮着那个高大灰白的老人。 旁边是一匹棕色的小马，抱着那个金发小男孩。 两人骑马沿着绿色的小路和美丽的乡间小路走着，一边聊天。 塞德里克谈了很多事情——尤其是他的母亲。 渐渐地，老人了解了“亲爱的”和她的生活。 得知她在城里忙得不可开交，他并没有不高兴。 只要有人需要帮助，她就会出现。 每当家里有人生病、悲伤或贫穷时，她都会去拜访。 有些人甚至去宫廷小屋拜访她，学习如何缝纫。

It also didn't displease the earl to find that his son's wife was so pretty. She looked as much like a lady as if she had been a duchess. He liked that she was popular and beloved by the poor. And yet, he sometimes felt jealous when Cedric spoke about her. The boy loved her more than he loved anyone else, and the earl wished that he was the one the boy loved most. One morning as Cedric and the earl were out riding their horses, they came to a high hill where much of the earl's lands could be seen. It was beautiful and spread out in every direction. "Do you know that all this land belongs to me?" the earl asked Cedric. "Does it?" the boy asked. "It's so much land to belong to one person! And it's so pretty!" "Someday it will all belong to you—this

伯爵发现他儿子的妻子如此漂亮也没有不高兴。 她看上去既像一位夫人，又像一位公爵夫人。 他喜欢她受穷人的欢迎和爱戴。 然而，当塞德里克谈起她时，他有时会感到嫉妒。 男孩爱她胜过爱其他任何人，伯爵希望他是男孩最爱的人。 一天早上，当塞德里克和伯爵骑马外出时，他们来到一座高山上，从那里可以看到伯爵的大部分土地。 它很美，向四面八方伸展开来。 “你知道这片土地都是我的吗？”伯爵问塞德里克。 “是吗？”男孩问。“一个人的土地这么大！”它真漂亮！”“总有一天它会属于你——这个

and a great deal more!" "To me!" exclaimed Cedric, shocked. "When?" "When I am dead," said his grandfather. "Then I don't want it," said the boy. "I want you to live always." "That's kind," the earl said. "Even so, one day all this land will be yours. One day, you will be the Earl of Dorincourt."

而且还要多得多！”“给我！”塞德里克吃惊地叫道。 “什么时候?”“等我死了，”他的祖父说。 “那我就不要了，”男孩说。 “我要你长生不老。” “那太好了，”伯爵说。 “即便如此，总有一天这片土地都会是你的。 总有一天，你会成为多林科特伯爵。”