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

"The money!" Mr. Havisham exclaimed. "You can not mean the income he proposed to settle upon you!" "Non puoi intendere la rendita che ha proposto di versare su di te!". "Yes," she answered, quite simply; "I think I should rather not have it. I am obliged to accept the house, and I thank him for it, because it makes it possible for me to be near my child; but I have a little money of my own,--enough to live simply upon,--and I should rather not take the other. As he dislikes me so much, I should feel a little as if I were selling Cedric to him. Visto che gli sto così antipatico, dovrei sentirmi un po' come se gli stessi vendendo Cedric. I am giving him up only because I love him enough to forget myself for his good, and because his father would wish it to be so." Mr. Havisham rubbed his chin. Il signor Havisham si sfregò il mento.

"This is very strange," he said. "He will be very angry. He won't understand it." "I think he will understand it after he thinks it over," she said. "Penso che lo capirà dopo averci riflettuto", ha detto. "I do not really need the money, and why should I accept luxuries from the man who hates me so much that he takes my little boy from me--his son's child?" Mr. Havisham looked reflective for a few moments.

"I will deliver your message," he said afterward. And then the dinner was brought in and they sat down together, the big cat taking a seat on a chair near Cedric's and purring majestically throughout the meal. When, later in the evening, Mr. Havisham presented himself at the Castle, he was taken at once to the Earl. He found him sitting by the fire in a luxurious easy-chair, his foot on a gout-stool. Lo trovò seduto accanto al fuoco in una lussuosa poltrona, con i piedi su uno sgabello. He looked at the lawyer sharply from under his shaggy eyebrows, but Mr. Havisham could see that, in spite of his pretense at calmness, he was nervous and secretly excited. Guardò l'avvocato con attenzione da sotto le sopracciglia arruffate, ma il signor Havisham poté vedere che, nonostante la sua finta calma, era nervoso e segretamente eccitato.

"Well," he said; "well, Havisham, come back, have you? "Bene", disse; "bene, Havisham, sei tornata, vero? What's the news?" "Lord Fauntleroy and his mother are at Court Lodge," replied Mr. Havisham. "They bore the voyage very well and are in excellent health." "Hanno sopportato il viaggio molto bene e sono in ottima salute". The Earl made a half-impatient sound and moved his hand restlessly.

"Glad to hear it," he said brusquely. "So far, so good. "Finora tutto bene. Make yourself comfortable. Mettetevi comodi. Have a glass of wine and settle down. What else?" "His lordship remains with his mother to-night. To-morrow I will bring him to the Castle." The Earl's elbow was resting on the arm of his chair; he put his hand up and shielded his eyes with it. Il gomito del conte era appoggiato sul bracciolo della sedia; alzò la mano e si schermò gli occhi. "Well," he said; "go on. You know I told you not to write to me about the matter, and I know nothing whatever about it. Sapete che vi avevo detto di non scrivermi nulla al riguardo, e io non ne so nulla. What kind of a lad is he? I don't care about the mother; what sort of a lad is he?" Non mi importa della madre; che tipo di ragazzo è?". Mr. Havisham drank a little of the glass of port he had poured out for himself, and sat holding it in his hand. Il signor Havisham bevve un po' del bicchiere di porto che aveva versato per sé e si sedette tenendolo in mano.

"It is rather difficult to judge of the character of a child of seven," he said cautiously. The Earl's prejudices were very intense. I pregiudizi del conte erano molto intensi. He looked up quickly and uttered a rough word. Alzò rapidamente lo sguardo e pronunciò una parola ruvida.

"A fool, is he?" "Un pazzo, vero?". he exclaimed. "Or a clumsy cub? "O un cucciolo maldestro? His American blood tells, does it?" "I do not think it has injured him, my lord," replied the lawyer in his dry, deliberate fashion. "Non credo che l'abbia ferito, mio signore", rispose l'avvocato nel suo modo asciutto e deliberato. "I don't know much about children, but I thought him rather a fine lad." His manner of speech was always deliberate and unenthusiastic, but he made it a trifle more so than usual. Il suo modo di parlare era sempre deliberato e poco entusiasta, ma lo fece un po' più del solito. He had a shrewd fancy that it would be better that the Earl should judge for himself, and be quite unprepared for his first interview with his grandson. Aveva intuito che sarebbe stato meglio che il conte giudicasse da solo, e che fosse del tutto impreparato al primo colloquio con il nipote.

"Healthy and well-grown?" asked my lord.

"Apparently very healthy, and quite well-grown," replied the lawyer. "Straight-limbed and well enough to look at?" "Con gli arti dritti e abbastanza in forma da poter essere guardati?". demanded the Earl.

A very slight smile touched Mr. Havisham's thin lips. There rose up before his mind's eye the picture he had left at Court Lodge,--the beautiful, graceful child's body lying upon the tiger-skin in careless comfort--the bright, tumbled hair spread on the rug--the bright, rosy boy's face. Si presentò all'occhio della sua mente l'immagine che aveva lasciato a Court Lodge, il bel corpo aggraziato del bambino disteso sulla pelle di tigre in un comfort noncurante, i capelli luminosi e scompigliati sparsi sul tappeto, il viso luminoso e roseo del ragazzo. "Rather a handsome boy, I think, my lord, as boys go," he said, "though I am scarcely a judge, perhaps. "Penso che sia un bel ragazzo, mio signore, per quanto riguarda i ragazzi", disse, "anche se forse non sono in grado di giudicare". But you will find him somewhat different from most English children, I dare say." "I haven't a doubt of that," snarled the Earl, a twinge of gout seizing him. "Non ne dubito", ringhiò il conte, con una fitta di gotta che lo colse. "A lot of impudent little beggars, those American children; I've heard that often enough." "Sono dei piccoli mendicanti impudenti, quei bambini americani; l'ho sentito dire abbastanza spesso".