Chapter 2 (2) Kapitel 2 (2) Capítulo 2 (2) Capítulo 2 (2) Розділ 2 (2)

"What!" he exclaimed.

"Yes," Cedric announced, with due modesty; " I am one--or I am going to be. "Sì", annunciò Cedric, con la dovuta modestia, "lo sono o lo diventerò". I won't deceive you." Non vi ingannerò". Mr. Hobbs looked agitated. He rose up suddenly and went to look at the thermometer.

"The mercury's got into your head!" "Il mercurio ti è entrato in testa!". he exclaimed, turning back to examine his young friend's countenance. esclamò, voltandosi per esaminare il volto del giovane amico. "It is a hot day! How do you feel? Got any pain? When did you begin to feel that way?" He put his big hand on the little boy's hair. This was more embarrassing than ever.

"Thank you," said Ceddie; "I'm all right. There is nothing the matter with my head. I'm sorry to say it's true, Mr. Hobbs. That was what Mary came to take me home for. Mr. Havisham was telling my mamma, and he is a lawyer." Mr. Hobbs sank into his chair and mopped his forehead with his handkerchief. Mr. Hobbs sprofondò nella sua poltrona e si tamponò la fronte con il fazzoletto.

" One of us has got a sunstroke!" " Uno di noi ha preso un'insolazione!". he exclaimed.

"No," returned Cedric, "we haven't. We shall have to make the best of it, Mr. Hobbs. Dovremo fare del nostro meglio, signor Hobbs. Mr. Havisham came all the way from England to tell us about it. My grandpapa sent him." Mr. Hobbs stared wildly at the innocent, serious little face before him. Mr. Hobbs fissò selvaggiamente il piccolo volto innocente e serio che aveva davanti.

"Who is your grandfather?" he asked.

Cedric put his hand in his pocket and carefully drew out a piece of paper, on which something was written in his own round, irregular hand. Cedric mise la mano in tasca e ne estrasse con cura un pezzo di carta, su cui era scritto qualcosa nella sua mano rotonda e irregolare.

"I couldn't easily remember it, so I wrote it down on this," he said. And he read aloud slowly: " 'John Arthur Molyneux Errol, Earl of Dorincourt.' That is his name, and he lives in a castle--in two or three castles, I think. And my papa, who died, was his youngest son; and I shouldn't have been a lord or an earl if my papa hadn't died; and my papa wouldn't have been an earl if his two brothers hadn't died. But they all died, and there is no one but me,--no boy,--and so I have to be one; and my grandpapa has sent for me to come to England." Ma sono tutti morti, e non c'è nessun altro oltre a me, nessun ragazzo, e quindi devo esserlo io; e mio nonno mi ha mandato a chiamare per venire in Inghilterra". Mr. Hobbs seemed to grow hotter and hotter. Mr. Hobbs sembrava diventare sempre più caldo. He mopped his forehead and his bald spot and breathed hard. Si sciacquò la fronte e la calvizie e respirò a fatica. He began to see that something very remarkable had happened; but when he looked at the little boy sitting on the cracker-box, with the innocent, anxious expression in his childish eyes, and saw that he was not changed at all, but was simply as he had been the day before, just a handsome, cheerful, brave little fellow in a blue suit and red neck-ribbon, all this information about the nobility bewildered him. Er begann zu begreifen, dass etwas sehr Bemerkenswertes geschehen war; aber als er den kleinen Jungen, der auf der Keksdose saß, mit dem unschuldigen, ängstlichen Ausdruck in den kindlichen Augen betrachtete und sah, dass er sich überhaupt nicht verändert hatte, sondern einfach so war wie am Tag zuvor, nur ein hübsches, fröhliches, tapferes kleines Kerlchen in einem blauen Anzug und einer roten Halsschleife, verwirrte ihn diese ganze Information über den Adel. Cominciò a capire che era successo qualcosa di molto notevole; ma quando guardò il ragazzino seduto sulla scatola di cracker, con l'espressione innocente e ansiosa dei suoi occhi infantili, e vide che non era affatto cambiato, ma era semplicemente com'era il giorno prima, un ragazzino bello, allegro e coraggioso con un vestito blu e un nastro rosso al collo, tutte queste informazioni sulla nobiltà lo sconcertarono. He was all the more bewildered because Cedric gave it with such ingenuous simplicity, and plainly without realizing himself how stupendous it was. Era ancora più sconcertato perché Cedric la dava con una semplicità così ingenua, senza rendersi conto di quanto fosse stupenda.

"Wha--what did you say your name was?" Mr. Hobbs inquired.

"It's Cedric Errol, Lord Fauntleroy," answered Cedric. "That was what Mr. Havisham called me. He said when I went into the room: 'And so this is little Lord Fauntleroy! ' " "Well," said Mr. Hobbs, "I'll be--jiggered!" "Nun", sagte Mr. Hobbs, "ich werde... erschüttert sein!" "Beh", disse il signor Hobbs, "sarò... scosso!". This was an exclamation he always used when he was very much astonished or excited. He could think of nothing else to say just at that puzzling moment. Non gli venne in mente nient'altro da dire in quel momento sconcertante.

Cedric felt it to be quite a proper and suitable ejaculation. Cedric la ritenne un'eiaculazione adeguata e appropriata. His respect and affection for Mr. Hobbs were so great that he admired and approved of all his remarks. He had not seen enough of society as yet to make him realize that sometimes Mr. Hobbs was not quite conventional. Non aveva ancora visto abbastanza società per rendersi conto che a volte Mr. Hobbs non era del tutto convenzionale. He knew, of course, that he was different from his mamma, but, then, his mamma was a lady, and he had an idea that ladies were always different from gentlemen.

He looked at Mr. Hobbs wistfully. Guardò Mr. Hobbs con malinconia.

"England is a long way off, isn't it?" "L'Inghilterra è molto lontana, vero?". he asked.

"It's across the Atlantic Ocean," Mr. Hobbs answered. "That's the worst of it," said Cedric. "Perhaps I shall not see you again for a long time. I don't like to think of that, Mr. Hobbs." "The best of friends must part," said Mr. Hobbs. "I migliori amici devono separarsi", disse il signor Hobbs. "Well," said Cedric, "we have been friends for a great many years, haven't we?" "Ever since you was born," Mr. Hobbs answered. "You was about six weeks old when you was first walked out on this street." "Ah," remarked Cedric, with a sigh, "I never thought I should have to be an earl then!" "You think," said Mr. Hobbs, "there's no getting out of it?" "Credi", disse Mr. Hobbs, "che non ci sia modo di uscirne?". "I'm afraid not," answered Cedric. "My mamma says that my papa would wish me to do it. But if I have to be an earl, there's one thing I can do: I can try to be a good one. I'm not going to be a tyrant. And if there is ever to be another war with America, I shall try to stop it."