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Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Chapter 5 (7)

Chapter 5 (7)

But this evening he did not swear, though his gouty foot gave him more twinges than one. He chose to try an experiment. He got up slowly and put his hand on the small shoulder presented to him with so much courage. Little Lord Fauntleroy made a careful step forward, looking down at the gouty foot.

"Just lean on me," he said, with encouraging good cheer. "I'll walk very slowly." If the Earl had been supported by the footman he would have rested less on his stick and more on his assistant's arm. And yet it was part of his experiment to let his grandson feel his burden as no light weight. It was quite a heavy weight indeed, and after a few steps his young lordship's face grew quite hot, and his heart beat rather fast, but he braced himself sturdily, remembering his muscle and Dick's approval of it. "Don't be afraid of leaning on me," he panted. "I'm all right--if--if it isn't a very long way." It was not really very far to the dining-room, but it seemed rather a long way to Cedric, before they reached the chair at the head of the table. The hand on his shoulder seemed to grow heavier at every step, and his face grew redder and hotter, and his breath shorter, but he never thought of giving up; he stiffened his childish muscles, held his head erect, and encouraged the Earl as he limped along.

"Does your foot hurt you very much when you stand on it?" he asked. "Did you ever put it in hot water and mustard? Mr. Hobbs used to put his in hot water. Arnica is a very nice thing, they tell me." The big dog stalked slowly beside them, and the big footman followed; several times he looked very queer as he watched the little figure making the very most of all its strength, and bearing its burden with such good-will. The Earl, too, looked rather queer, once, as he glanced sidewise down at the flushed little face. When they entered the room where they were to dine, Cedric saw it was a very large and imposing one, and that the footman who stood behind the chair at the head of the table stared very hard as they came in.

But they reached the chair at last. The hand was removed from his shoulder, and the Earl was fairly seated.

Cedric took out Dick's handkerchief and wiped his forehead. "It's a warm night, isn't it?" he said. "Perhaps you need a fire because--because of your foot, but it seems just a little warm to me." His delicate consideration for his noble relative's feelings was such that he did not wish to seem to intimate that any of his surroundings were unnecessary. "You have been doing some rather hard work," said the Earl. "Oh, no!" said Lord Fauntleroy, "it wasn't exactly hard, but I got a little warm. A person will get warm in summer time." And he rubbed his damp curls rather vigorously with the gorgeous handkerchief. His own chair was placed at the other end of the table, opposite his grandfather's. It was a chair with arms, and intended for a much larger individual than himself; indeed, everything he had seen so far,--the great rooms, with their high ceilings, the massive furniture, the big footman, the big dog, the Earl himself,--were all of proportions calculated to make this little lad feel that he was very small, indeed. But that did not trouble him; he had never thought himself very large or important, and he was quite willing to accommodate himself even to circumstances which rather overpowered him.

Perhaps he had never looked so little a fellow as when seated now in his great chair, at the end of the table. Notwithstanding his solitary existence, the Earl chose to live in some state. He was fond of his dinner, and he dined in a formal style. Cedric looked at him across a glitter of splendid glass and plate, which to his unaccustomed eyes seemed quite dazzling. A stranger looking on might well have smiled at the picture,--the great stately room, the big liveried servants, the bright lights, the glittering silver and glass, the fierce-looking old nobleman at the head of the table and the very small boy at the foot. Dinner was usually a very serious matter with the Earl--and it was a very serious matter with the cook, if his lordship was not pleased or had an indifferent appetite. To-day, however, his appetite seemed a trifle better than usual, perhaps because he had something to think of beside the flavor of the entrees and the management of the gravies. His grandson gave him something to think of. He kept looking at him across the table. He did not say very much himself, but he managed to make the boy talk. He had never imagined that he could be entertained by hearing a child talk, but Lord Fauntleroy at once puzzled and amused him, and he kept remembering how he had let the childish shoulder feel his weight just for the sake of trying how far the boy's courage and endurance would go, and it pleased him to know that his grandson had not quailed and had not seemed to think even for a moment of giving up what he had undertaken to do.

Chapter 5 (7) Kapitel 5 (7) Розділ 5 (7)

But this evening he did not swear, though his gouty foot gave him more twinges than one. He chose to try an experiment. He got up slowly and put his hand on the small shoulder presented to him with so much courage. Si alzò lentamente e posò la mano sulla piccola spalla che gli era stata presentata con tanto coraggio. Little Lord Fauntleroy made a careful step forward, looking down at the gouty foot.

"Just lean on me," he said, with encouraging good cheer. "Appoggiati a me", disse, con incoraggiante buonumore. "I'll walk very slowly." If the Earl had been supported by the footman he would have rested less on his stick and more on his assistant's arm. And yet it was part of his experiment to let his grandson feel his burden as no light weight. Eppure faceva parte del suo esperimento far sentire al nipote il suo fardello come un peso non leggero. It was quite a heavy weight indeed, and after a few steps his young lordship's face grew quite hot, and his heart beat rather fast, but he braced himself sturdily, remembering his muscle and Dick's approval of it. Il peso era davvero notevole e dopo pochi passi il volto di Sua Signoria si fece caldo e il cuore gli batté piuttosto forte, ma si sostenne con forza, ricordando il suo muscolo e l'approvazione di Dick. "Don't be afraid of leaning on me," he panted. "I'm all right--if--if it isn't a very long way." It was not really very far to the dining-room, but it seemed rather a long way to Cedric, before they reached the chair at the head of the table. The hand on his shoulder seemed to grow heavier at every step, and his face grew redder and hotter, and his breath shorter, but he never thought of giving up; he stiffened his childish muscles, held his head erect, and encouraged the Earl as he limped along. La mano sulla sua spalla sembrava diventare più pesante a ogni passo, il suo viso diventava sempre più rosso e caldo e il suo respiro più corto, ma non pensò mai di arrendersi; irrigidì i suoi muscoli infantili, tenne la testa eretta e incoraggiò il Conte mentre zoppicava.

"Does your foot hurt you very much when you stand on it?" he asked. "Did you ever put it in hot water and mustard? Mr. Hobbs used to put his in hot water. Arnica is a very nice thing, they tell me." Mi hanno detto che l'arnica è una cosa molto bella". The big dog stalked slowly beside them, and the big footman followed; several times he looked very queer as he watched the little figure making the very most of all its strength, and bearing its burden with such good-will. Il grosso cane camminava lentamente accanto a loro e il grande cameriere lo seguiva; più volte aveva un'aria strana mentre osservava la piccola figura che sfruttava al massimo tutte le sue forze e sopportava il suo fardello con tanta buona volontà. The Earl, too, looked rather queer, once, as he glanced sidewise down at the flushed little face. Anche il conte ebbe un'aria piuttosto strana, una volta, mentre guardava di traverso il piccolo viso arrossato. When they entered the room where they were to dine, Cedric saw it was a very large and imposing one, and that the footman who stood behind the chair at the head of the table stared very hard as they came in. Quando entrarono nella sala in cui dovevano cenare, Cedric vide che era molto grande e imponente, e che il cameriere che stava dietro la sedia a capotavola li fissò intensamente quando entrarono.

But they reached the chair at last. The hand was removed from his shoulder, and the Earl was fairly seated. La mano fu tolta dalla spalla e il conte fu messo a sedere.

Cedric took out Dick's handkerchief and wiped his forehead. "It's a warm night, isn't it?" he said. "Perhaps you need a fire because--because of your foot, but it seems just a little warm to me." His delicate consideration for his noble relative's feelings was such that he did not wish to seem to intimate that any of his surroundings were unnecessary. La sua delicata considerazione per i sentimenti del nobile parente era tale che non voleva sembrare che qualcuno dei suoi dintorni fosse superfluo. "You have been doing some rather hard work," said the Earl. "Avete fatto un lavoro piuttosto duro", disse il conte. "Oh, no!" said Lord Fauntleroy, "it wasn't exactly hard, but I got a little warm. disse Lord Fauntleroy, "non è stato proprio difficile, ma ho avuto un po' di caldo. A person will get warm in summer time." And he rubbed his damp curls rather vigorously with the gorgeous handkerchief. E si strofinò piuttosto vigorosamente i riccioli umidi con lo splendido fazzoletto. His own chair was placed at the other end of the table, opposite his grandfather's. It was a chair with arms, and intended for a much larger individual than himself; indeed, everything he had seen so far,--the great rooms, with their high ceilings, the massive furniture, the big footman, the big dog, the Earl himself,--were all of proportions calculated to make this little lad feel that he was very small, indeed. Era una sedia con i braccioli, destinata a un individuo molto più grande di lui; in effetti, tutto ciò che aveva visto fino a quel momento, le grandi stanze, con i loro alti soffitti, i mobili massicci, il grande cameriere, il grande cane, il conte stesso, erano tutti di proporzioni tali da far sentire il ragazzo molto piccolo. But that did not trouble him; he had never thought himself very large or important, and he was quite willing to accommodate himself even to circumstances which rather overpowered him. Ma questo non lo preoccupava; non si era mai ritenuto molto grande o importante, ed era abbastanza disposto ad adattarsi anche a circostanze che lo sovrastavano.

Perhaps he had never looked so little a fellow as when seated now in his great chair, at the end of the table. Forse non aveva mai avuto un aspetto così piccolo come quando era seduto sulla sua grande sedia, all'estremità del tavolo. Notwithstanding his solitary existence, the Earl chose to live in some state. Nonostante la sua esistenza solitaria, il conte scelse di vivere in qualche stato. He was fond of his dinner, and he dined in a formal style. Cedric looked at him across a glitter of splendid glass and plate, which to his unaccustomed eyes seemed quite dazzling. Cedric lo guardò attraverso uno scintillio di splendidi vetri e lastre, che ai suoi occhi non abituati sembrò piuttosto abbagliante. A stranger looking on might well have smiled at the picture,--the great stately room, the big liveried servants, the bright lights, the glittering silver and glass, the fierce-looking old nobleman at the head of the table and the very small boy at the foot. Un estraneo, guardando, avrebbe potuto sorridere dell'immagine: la grande sala signorile, i grandi servitori in livrea, le luci brillanti, l'argento e il vetro scintillanti, il vecchio nobile dall'aspetto feroce a capotavola e il bambino molto piccolo ai piedi. Dinner was usually a very serious matter with the Earl--and it was a very serious matter with the cook, if his lordship was not pleased or had an indifferent appetite. La cena era di solito una questione molto seria con il conte, ed era una questione molto seria con il cuoco, se sua signoria non era soddisfatta o aveva un appetito indifferente. To-day, however, his appetite seemed a trifle better than usual, perhaps because he had something to think of beside the flavor of the entrees and the management of the gravies. Oggi, tuttavia, il suo appetito sembrava un po' migliore del solito, forse perché aveva qualcosa a cui pensare oltre al sapore dei piatti e alla gestione degli intingoli. His grandson gave him something to think of. He kept looking at him across the table. He did not say very much himself, but he managed to make the boy talk. He had never imagined that he could be entertained by hearing a child talk, but Lord Fauntleroy at once puzzled and amused him, and he kept remembering how he had let the childish shoulder feel his weight just for the sake of trying how far the boy's courage and endurance would go, and it pleased him to know that his grandson had not quailed and had not seemed to think even for a moment of giving up what he had undertaken to do. Non aveva mai immaginato di potersi divertire sentendo parlare un bambino, ma Lord Fauntleroy lo sconcertava e lo divertiva allo stesso tempo, e continuava a ricordare come aveva fatto sentire il suo peso alla spalla del bambino solo per provare fino a che punto si sarebbero spinti il coraggio e la resistenza del ragazzo, e gli faceva piacere sapere che suo nipote non aveva ceduto e non sembrava aver pensato nemmeno per un momento di rinunciare a ciò che si era impegnato a fare.