Chapter 5 (8) Kapitel 5 (8) 第5章 (8) Розділ 5 (8)

"You don't wear your coronet all the time?" remarked Lord Fauntleroy respectfully.

"No," replied the Earl, with his grim smile; "it is not becoming to me." "No", rispose il conte, con il suo sorriso cupo, "non mi si addice". "Mr. Hobbs said you always wore it," said Cedric; "but after he thought it over, he said he supposed you must sometimes take it off to put your hat on." "Il signor Hobbs ha detto che lo portavate sempre", disse Cedric; "ma dopo averci riflettuto, ha detto che supponeva che a volte dovevate toglierlo per mettervi il cappello". "Yes," said the Earl, "I take it off occasionally." "Sì", disse il conte, "ogni tanto me lo tolgo". And one of the footmen suddenly turned aside and gave a singular little cough behind his hand. Uno dei camerieri si girò improvvisamente di lato e diede un singolare colpo di tosse dietro la mano.

Cedric finished his dinner first, and then he leaned back in his chair and took a survey of the room.

"You must be very proud of your house," he said, "it's such a beautiful house. I never saw anything so beautiful; but, of course, as I'm only seven, I haven't seen much." "And you think I must be proud of it, do you?" said the Earl.

"I should think any one would be proud of it," replied Lord Fauntleroy. "I should be proud of it if it were my house. "Dovrei esserne orgoglioso se fosse casa mia. Everything about it is beautiful. And the park, and those trees,--how beautiful they are, and how the leaves rustle!" E il parco, e quegli alberi, - come sono belli, e come frusciano le foglie!". Then he paused an instant and looked across the table rather wistfully. Poi si fermò un istante e guardò dall'altra parte del tavolo in modo piuttosto malinconico.

"It's a very big house for just two people to live in, isn't it?" he said.

"It is quite large enough for two," answered the Earl. "Do you find it too large?" His little lordship hesitated a moment.

"I was only thinking," he said, "that if two people lived in it who were not very good companions, they might feel lonely sometimes." "Do you think I shall make a good companion?" inquired the Earl.

"Yes," replied Cedric, "I think you will. Mr. Hobbs and I were great friends. He was the best friend I had except Dearest." The Earl made a quick movement of his bushy eyebrows. Il conte fece un rapido movimento delle sopracciglia folte.

"Who is Dearest?" "She is my mother," said Lord Fauntleroy, in a rather low, quiet little voice. Perhaps he was a trifle tired, as his bed-time was nearing, and perhaps after the excitement of the last few days it was natural he should be tired, so perhaps, too, the feeling of weariness brought to him a vague sense of loneliness in the remembrance that to-night he was not to sleep at home, watched over by the loving eyes of that "best friend" of his. Forse era un po' stanco, visto che si stava avvicinando l'ora di andare a letto, e forse dopo l'eccitazione degli ultimi giorni era naturale che fosse stanco, e forse anche la sensazione di stanchezza gli procurava un vago senso di solitudine nel ricordare che questa notte non avrebbe dormito a casa, sorvegliato dagli occhi amorevoli di quel suo "migliore amico". They had always been "best friends," this boy and his young mother. He could not help thinking of her, and the more he thought of her the less was he inclined to talk, and by the time the dinner was at an end the Earl saw that there was a faint shadow on his face. Non poteva fare a meno di pensare a lei, e più ci pensava meno era propenso a parlare, e quando la cena fu terminata il conte vide che c'era una leggera ombra sul suo viso. But Cedric bore himself with excellent courage, and when they went back to the library, though the tall footman walked on one side of his master, the Earl's hand rested on his grandson's shoulder, though not so heavily as before. Ma Cedric si comportò con eccellente coraggio e quando tornarono in biblioteca, sebbene l'alto cameriere camminasse da un lato del suo padrone, la mano del conte si posò sulla spalla del nipote, anche se non così pesantemente come prima. When the footman left them alone, Cedric sat down upon the hearth-rug near Dougal. For a few minutes he stroked the dog's ears in silence and looked at the fire. Per qualche minuto accarezzò le orecchie del cane in silenzio e guardò il fuoco. The Earl watched him. The boy's eyes looked wistful and thoughtful, and once or twice he gave a little sigh. Gli occhi del ragazzo sembravano malinconici e pensierosi, e una o due volte emise un piccolo sospiro. The Earl sat still, and kept his eyes fixed on his grandson.

"Fauntleroy," he said at last, "what are you thinking of?" Fauntleroy looked up with a manful effort at a smile. Fauntleroy alzò lo sguardo con un virile sforzo di sorriso.

"I was thinking about Dearest," he said; "and--and I think I'd better get up and walk up and down the room." "Stavo pensando a Dearest", disse, "e... e credo che sia meglio che mi alzi e cammini su e giù per la stanza". He rose up, and put his hands in his small pockets, and began to walk to and fro. Si alzò, mise le mani nelle piccole tasche e cominciò a camminare avanti e indietro. His eyes were very bright, and his lips were pressed together, but he kept his head up and walked firmly. Dougal moved lazily and looked at him, and then stood up. Dougal si mosse pigramente e lo guardò, poi si alzò. He walked over to the child, and began to follow him uneasily. Si avvicinò al bambino, che iniziò a seguirlo con disagio. Fauntleroy drew one hand from his pocket and laid it on the dog's head.