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. He looked at the lawyer sharply from under his shaggy eyebrows.
"Well," he said; "well, Havisham, come back, have you? 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."
The Earl made a half-impatient sound and moved his hand restlessly.
"Glad to hear it," he said brusquely. "So far, so good. Make yourself comfortable. 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.
"Well?" he said; "go on. What kind of a lad is he? I don't care about the mother; what sort of a lad is he? Healthy and well grown?"
"Apparently very healthy, and quite well grown," replied the lawyer.
"Straight-limbed and well enough to look at?" demanded the Earl.
A very slight smile touched Mr. Havisham's thin lips.
"Rather a handsome boy, I think, my lord, as boys go," he said, "though I am scarcely a judge, perhaps."
There was a silence of a few moments. It was Mr. Havisham who broke it.
"I have a message to deliver from Mrs. Errol," he remarked.
"I don't want any of her messages!" growled his lordship; "the less I hear of her the better."
"This is a rather important one," explained the lawyer. "She prefers not to accept the income you proposed to settle on her."
"What's that?" he cried out. "What's that?"
"She says it is not necessary, and that as the relations between you are not friendly----"
"Not friendly!" ejaculated my lord savagely; "I should say they were not friendly! I hate to think of her! A mercenary American! I don't wish to see her!"
"My lord," said Mr. Havisham, "you can scarcely call her mercenary. She has asked for nothing. She does not accept the money you offer her."