Chapter 6 (9) Kapitel 6 (9) Розділ 6 (9)

The carriage rolled on down the stately avenue under the beautiful, broad-branched trees, through the spaces of green shade and lanes of golden sunlight. Fauntleroy saw again the lovely places where the ferns grew high and the bluebells swayed in the breeze; he saw the deer, standing or lying in the deep grass, turn their large, startled eyes as the carriage passed, and caught glimpses of the brown rabbits as they scurried away. He heard the whir of the partridges and the calls and songs of the birds, and it all seemed even more beautiful to him than before. All his heart was filled with pleasure and happiness in the beauty that was on every side. But the old Earl saw and heard very different things, though he was apparently looking out too. He saw a long life, in which there had been neither generous deeds nor kind thoughts; he saw years in which a man who had been young and strong and rich and powerful had used his youth and strength and wealth and power only to please himself and kill time as the days and years succeeded each other; he saw this man, when the time had been killed and old age had come, solitary and without real friends in the midst of all his splendid wealth; he saw people who disliked or feared him, and people who would flatter and cringe to him, but no one who really cared whether he lived or died, unless they had something to gain or lose by it. Vide una lunga vita, in cui non c'erano state né azioni generose né pensieri gentili; vide anni in cui un uomo che era stato giovane e forte e ricco e potente aveva usato la sua giovinezza e la sua forza e la sua ricchezza e il suo potere solo per compiacere se stesso e per ammazzare il tempo mentre i giorni e gli anni si succedevano; vide quest'uomo, quando il tempo era stato ucciso e la vecchiaia era arrivata, solitario e senza veri amici in mezzo a tutte le sue splendide ricchezze; vide persone che lo detestavano o lo temevano, e persone che lo adulavano e lo compiacevano, ma nessuno a cui importasse davvero che vivesse o morisse, a meno che non avesse qualcosa da guadagnarci o da perderci. He looked out on the broad acres which belonged to him, and he knew what Fauntleroy did not—how far they extended, what wealth they represented, and how many people had homes on their soil. Guardava gli ampi acri che gli appartenevano e sapeva ciò che Fauntleroy non sapeva: quanto si estendevano, quale ricchezza rappresentavano e quante persone avevano casa sul loro suolo. And he knew, too,—another thing Fauntleroy did not,—that in all those homes, humble or well-to-do, there was probably not one person, however much he envied the wealth and stately name and power, and however willing he would have been to possess them, who would for an instant have thought of calling the noble owner "good," or wishing, as this simple-souled little boy had, to be like him. E sapeva anche, altra cosa che Fauntleroy non sapeva, che in tutte quelle case, umili o benestanti, probabilmente non c'era nessuno, per quanto invidiasse la ricchezza, il nome imponente e il potere, e per quanto fosse disposto a possederli, che avesse pensato per un istante di chiamare "buono" il nobile proprietario o di desiderare, come aveva fatto quel ragazzino dall'animo semplice, di essere come lui. And it was not exactly pleasant to reflect upon, even for a cynical, worldly old man, who had been sufficient unto himself for seventy years and who had never deigned to care what opinion the world held of him so long as it did not interfere with his comfort or entertainment. E non era esattamente piacevole rifletterci, nemmeno per un vecchio cinico e mondano, che era bastato a se stesso per settant'anni e che non si era mai degnato di preoccuparsi dell'opinione che il mondo aveva di lui, purché non interferisse con le sue comodità o i suoi divertimenti. And the fact was, indeed, that he had never before condescended to reflect upon it at all; and he only did so now because a child had believed him better than he was, and by wishing to follow in his illustrious footsteps and imitate his example, had suggested to him the curious question whether he was exactly the person to take as a model. Il fatto è che prima d'ora non si era mai degnato di rifletterci; e lo fece solo ora, perché un bambino lo aveva creduto migliore di lui e, desiderando seguire le sue illustri orme e imitarne l'esempio, gli aveva suggerito la curiosa domanda se fosse proprio lui la persona da prendere a modello.

Fauntleroy thought the Earl's foot must be hurting him, his brows knitted themselves together so, as he looked out at the park; and thinking this, the considerate little fellow tried not to disturb him, and enjoyed the trees and the ferns and the deer in silence. Fauntleroy pensò che il piede del conte dovesse fargli male, perché le sue sopracciglia si aggrottavano così, mentre guardava il parco; e pensando questo, il piccolo premuroso cercò di non disturbarlo, e si godette gli alberi, le felci e i cervi in silenzio. But at last the carriage, having passed the gates and bowled through the green lanes for a short distance, stopped. Ma alla fine la carrozza, dopo aver superato i cancelli e aver percorso le verdi stradine per un breve tratto, si fermò. They had reached Court Lodge; and Fauntleroy was out upon the ground almost before the big footman had time to open the carriage door.

The Earl wakened from his reverie with a start. Il conte si svegliò di soprassalto.

"What!" he said. "Are we here?" "Siamo arrivati?" "Yes," said Fauntleroy. "Let me give you your stick. Just lean on me when you get out." "I am not going to get out," replied his lordship brusquely. "Not—not to see Dearest?" exclaimed Fauntleroy with astonished face.

"'Dearest' will excuse me," said the Earl dryly. "Carissimo", mi scuserà", disse seccamente il conte. "Go to her and tell her that not even a new pony would keep you away." "Vai da lei e dille che nemmeno un nuovo pony ti terrà lontano". "She will be disappointed," said Fauntleroy. "She will want to see you very much." "I am afraid not," was the answer. "The carriage will call for you as we come back.—Tell Jeffries to drive on, Thomas." "La carrozza vi chiamerà al ritorno... Di' a Jeffries di proseguire, Thomas". Thomas closed the carriage door; and, after a puzzled look, Fauntleroy ran up the drive. Thomas chiuse la porta della carrozza e, dopo un'occhiata perplessa, Fauntleroy corse su per il viale. The Earl had the opportunity—as Mr. Havisham once had—of seeing a pair of handsome, strong little legs flash over the ground with astonishing rapidity. Il conte ebbe l'opportunità, come il signor Havisham una volta, di vedere un paio di belle e robuste zampette che si muovevano sul terreno con una rapidità sorprendente. Evidently their owner had no intention of losing any time. The carriage rolled slowly away, but his lordship did not at once lean back; he still looked out. La carrozza si allontanò lentamente, ma Sua Signoria non si piegò subito all'indietro, continuando a guardare fuori. Through a space in the trees he could see the house door; it was wide open. The little figure dashed up the steps; another figure—a little figure, too, slender and young, in its black gown—ran to meet it. La piccola figura salì di corsa i gradini; un'altra figura, anch'essa piccola, snella e giovane, con il suo abito nero, le corse incontro. It seemed as if they flew together, as Fauntleroy leaped into his mother's arms, hanging about her neck and covering her sweet young face with kisses. Sembrava che volassero insieme, mentre Fauntleroy saltava tra le braccia della madre, aggrappandosi al suo collo e coprendo di baci il suo giovane e dolce viso.