书虫1级《小爵爷》7. 城堡中的变化
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7. Changes at the castle
Wonderful things always happen quickly. Letters went to and from America and England, and soon Mr Hobbs, Dick, and Dick's brother Ben were on a ship to England.
Things happened quickly because Minna – and it was Minna – was a bad woman, and a stupid one too. When she married Bevis, the Earl's son, she was still Ben's wife, and you can't have two husbands. Her son Tom was eight years old, not five, so he was Ben's son, not Bevis's son.
She was in a sitting room in the Dorincourt Hotel when the end came. The door opened, and in came three people – Mr Havisham, a big young man, and the Earl of Dorincourt. Minna jumped to her feet with a cry.
Do you know this woman?' Mr Havisham said to the big young man.
Yes,' said Ben. 'I know her and she knows me.'
And that was the end of Minna. She left the hotel and nobody ever saw her again. Ben took his son Tom back to California with him, and with the Earl's help he bought a little farm there.
When the Earl left the hotel, he went at once to his carriage. 'To Court Lodge,' he said to his servant.
He came into the sitting room at Court Lodge and found Cedric with his mother. The Earl looked taller and younger, and there was a smile in his black eyes. He looked at his grandson.
So here,' he said, 'is Lord Fauntleroy.'
Mrs Errol stood up. 'Oh, is he truly Lord Fauntleroy?' she asked. The Earl took her hand.
Yes,' he answered, 'he is.' Then he put his other hand on Cedric's head.
Fauntleroy,' he said, 'ask your mother this. When is she coming to us at the castle?'
Lord Fauntleroy put his arms round his mother. 'To live with us,' he cried. 'To live with us always!'
Mrs Errol looked at the Earl with her sweet, sad eyes.
We need you,' the Earl said. 'We need you very much.'
Dick and Mr Hobbs did not go back to America at once. The Earl had a talk with Dick, and Dick went back to school, in England this time. His writing got much better, and he began to study to be a lawyer.
Mr Hobbs liked England very much. In the end he opened a new shop in Dorincourt, and was an important person in the village. People at the castle, of course, always went to his shop, and Cedric was in and out every day, to see his old friend.
Are you ever going back to America?' Dick asked Mr Hobbs when he visited one day.
I don't think so,' Mr Hobbs said. 'I like to be near the boy, you see. He's a fine little lord, young Cedric.'
To live with us,' Cedric cried.'To live with us always!'
7. 城堡中的变化
好事来得总是那么快。信件来往于美国和英格兰之间，很快霍布斯先生、迪克和迪克的哥哥本就搭上了前往英格兰的轮船。
事情进展迅速，因为明娜——就是那个明娜——是个坏女人，也是个蠢女人。她嫁给贝维斯，也就是伯爵儿子的时候，她还是本的妻子，可一个人是不能有两位丈夫的。她的儿子汤姆已经八岁大了，而不是五岁，所以他是本的儿子，而不是贝维斯的儿子。
结局到来的时候，明娜正坐在多林考特旅馆的客厅里。门被推开，进来三个人——哈维沙姆先生、一个大块头的年轻人和多林考特伯爵。明娜尖叫着跳了起来。
“你认识这个女人吗？”哈维沙姆先生问大块头的年轻人。
“是的，”本说，“我认得她，她也认得我。”
这便是明娜的结局。她离开旅馆，没人再见过她。本带儿子汤姆回了加利福尼亚，并且在伯爵的帮助下在那儿买了个小农场。
伯爵离开旅馆后，立刻走向马车。“去洛奇公寓。”他对仆人说。
他走进洛奇公寓的客厅，找到锡德里克和他的妈妈。伯爵看上去更高了，而且年轻了，黑色的眼睛里带着笑意。他看着他的孙子。
“那么这位，”他说，“就是方特勒罗伊爵爷。”
埃罗尔太太站起身来。“哦，他真的是方特勒罗伊爵爷吗？”她问道。伯爵握住她的手。
“是的，”他回答，“他是。”然后他把另一只手放到锡德里克头上。
“方特勒罗伊，”他说，“问问你妈妈，她什么时候到城堡来跟我们一起住？”
方特勒罗伊爵爷抱住妈妈。“跟我们一起住，”他喊道，“永远跟我们住在一起！”
埃罗尔太太用她温柔、忧伤的眼睛望着伯爵。
“我们需要你，”伯爵说，“我们非常需要你。”
迪克和霍布斯先生没有立即回美国。伯爵和迪克谈了谈，于是迪克重返校园了，这次是在英国。他的写作水平好多了，并且开始学习，想成为一名律师。
霍布斯先生很喜欢英格兰。最后，他在多林考特开了家新店，而且成了村里的一位重要人物。城堡里的人当然总是光顾他的店，锡德里克更是每天进进出出，看望他的老朋友。
“你还打算回美国吗？”迪克有天来看霍布斯先生的时候问他。
“我想不会了。”霍布斯先生说，“我喜欢在那孩子身边，你懂的。小锡德里克是位优秀的小爵爷。”
