young friend's circumstances at first, but lately he had become more
reconciled to it, and after the receipt of Cedric's letter he had
perhaps even felt some secret pride in his young friend's magnificence.
He might not have a good opinion of earls, but he knew that even in
America money was considered rather an agreeable thing, and if all the
wealth and grandeur were to go with the title, it must be rather hard to
lose it.

"They're trying to rob him!" he said, "that's what they're doing, and
folks that have money ought to look after him."

And he kept Dick with him until quite a late hour to talk it over, and
when that young man left, he went with him to the corner of the street;
and on his way back he stopped opposite the empty house for some time,
staring at the "To Let," and smoking his pipe, in much disturbance of
mind.

XII

A very few days after the dinner party at the Castle, almost everybody
in England who read the newspapers at all knew the romantic story of
what had happened at Dorincourt. It made a very interesting story when
it was told with all the details. There was the little American boy who
had been brought to England to be Lord Fauntleroy, and who was said to
be so fine and handsome a little fellow, and to have already made people
fond of him; there was the old Earl, his grandfather, who was so proud
of his heir; there was the pretty young mother who had never been
forgiven for marrying Captain Errol; and there was the strange marriage
of Bevis, the dead Lord Fauntleroy, and the strange wife, of whom no one
knew anything, suddenly appearing with her son, and saying that he was
the real Lord Fauntleroy and must have his rights. All these things were
talked about and written about, and caused a tremendous sensation. And
then there came the rumor that the Earl of Dorincourt was not satisfied
with the turn affairs had taken, and would perhaps contest the claim by
law, and the matter might end with a wonderful trial.

There never had been such excitement before in the county in which
Erleboro was situated. On market-days, people stood in groups and talked
and wondered what would be done; the farmers' wives invited one another
to tea that they might tell one another all they had heard and all
they thought and all they thought other people thought. They related
wonderful anecdotes about the Earl's rage and his determination not to
acknowledge the new Lord Fauntleroy, and his hatred of the woman