Chapter 13　Dick to the Rescue

OF course, as soon as the story of Lord Fauntleroy and the difficulties of the Earl of Dorincourt were discussed in the English newspapers, they were discussed in the American newspapers. The story was too interesting to be passed over lightly, and it was talked of a great deal. There were so many versions of it that it would have been an edifying thing to buy all the papers and compare them. Mr. Hobbs read so much about it that he became quite bewildered. One paper described his young friend Cedric as an infant in arms,—another as a young man at Oxford, winning all the honors, and distinguishing himself by writing Greek poems; one said he was engaged to a young lady of great beauty, who was the daughter of a duke; another said he had just been married; the only thing, in fact, which was NOT said was that he was a little boy between seven and eight, with handsome legs and curly hair. One said he was no relation to the Earl of Dorincourt at all, but was a small impostor who had sold newspapers and slept in the streets of New York before his mother imposed upon the family lawyer, who came to America to look for the Earl's heir. Then came the descriptions of the new Lord Fauntleroy and his mother. Sometimes she was a gypsy, sometimes an actress, sometimes a beautiful Spaniard; but it was always agreed that the Earl of Dorincourt was her deadly enemy, and would not acknowledge her son as his heir if he could help it, and as there seemed to be some slight flaw in the papers she had produced, it was expected that there would be a long trial, which would be far more interesting than anything ever carried into court before. Mr. Hobbs used to read the papers until his head was in a whirl, and in the evening he and Dick would talk it all over. They found out what an important personage an Earl of Dorincourt was, and what a magnificent income he possessed, and how many estates he owned, and how stately and beautiful was the Castle in which he lived; and the more they learned, the more excited they became.

Seems like somethin' orter be done, said Mr. Hobbs. "Things like them orter to be held on to—earls or no earls."

But there really was nothing they could do but each write a letter to Cedric, containing assurances of their friendship and sympathy. They wrote those letters as soon as they could after receiving the news; and after having written them, they handed them over to each other to be read.

This is what Mr. Hobbs read in Dick's letter:

DERE FREND: i got ure letter an Mr. Hobbs got his an we are sory u are down on ure luck an we say hold on as longs u kin an dont let no one git ahed of u. There is a lot of ole theves wil make al they kin of u ef u dont kepe ure i skined. But this is mosly to say that ive not forgot wot u did fur me an if there aint no better way cum over here an go in pardners with me. Biznes is fine an ile see no harm cums to u Enny big feler that trise to cum it over u wil hafter setle it fust with Perfessor Dick Tipton. So no more at present. DICK.

And this was what Dick read in Mr. Hobbs's letter:

DEAR SIR: Yrs received and wd say things looks bad. I believe its a put up job and them thats done it ought to be looked after sharp. And what I write to say is two things. Im going to look this thing up. Keep quiet and Ill see a lawyer and do all I can And if the worst happens and them earls is too many for us theres a partnership in the grocery business ready for you when yure old enough and a home and a friend in.

Yrs truly,

SILAS HOBBS.

Well, said Mr. Hobbs, "he's pervided for between us, if he aint a earl."

So he is, said Dick. "I'd ha' stood by him. Blest if I didn't like that little feller fust-rate."

The very next morning, one of Dick's customers was rather surprised. He was a young lawyer just beginning practice—as poor as a very young lawyer can possibly be, but a bright, energetic young fellow, with sharp wit and a good temper. He had a shabby office near Dick's stand, and every morning Dick blacked his boots for him, and quiteoften they were not exactly water-tight, but he always had a friendly word or a joke for Dick.

That particular morning, when he put his foot on the rest, he had an illustrated paper in his hand—an enterprising paper, with pictures in it of conspicuous people and things. He had just finished looking it over, and when the last boot was polished, he handed it over to the boy.

Here's a paper for you, Dick, he said; "you can look it over when you drop in at Delmonico's for your breakfast. Picture of an English castle in it, and an English earl's daughter-in-law. Fine young woman, too,—lots of hair,—though she seems to be raising rather a row. You ought to become familiar with the nobility and gentry, Dick. Begin on the Right Honorable the Earl of Dorincourt and Lady Fauntleroy. Hello! I say, what's the matter?"

The pictures he spoke of were on the front page, and Dick was staring at one of them with his eyes and mouth open, and his sharp face almost pale with excitement.

What's to pay, Dick? said the young man. "What has paralyzed you?"

Dick really did look as if something tremendous had happened. He pointed to the picture, under which was written:

Mother of Claimant (Lady Fauntleroy).

It was the picture of a handsome woman, with large eyes and heavy braids of black hair wound around her head.

Her! said Dick. "My, I know her better 'n I know you!"

The young man began to laugh.

Where did you meet her, Dick? he said. "At Newport? Or when you ran over to Paris the last time?"

Dick actually forgot to grin. He began to gather his brushes and things together, as if he had something to do which would put an end to his business for the present.

Never mind, he said. "I know her! An I've struck work for this mornin'."

And in less than five minutes from that time he was tearing through the streets on his way to Mr. Hobbs and the corner store.

Mr. Hobbs could scarcely believe the evidence of his senses when he looked across the counter and saw Dick rush in with the paper in his hand. The boy was out of breath with running; so much out of breath, in fact, that he could scarcely speak as he threw the paper down on the counter.

Hello! exclaimed Mr. Hobbs. "Hello! What you got there?"

Look at it! panted Dick. "Look at that woman in the picture! That's what you look at! SHE aint no 'ristocrat, SHE aint!" with withering scorn. "She's no lord's wife. You may eat me, if it aint Minna—MINNA! I'd know her anywheres, an' so 'd Ben. Jest ax him."

Mr. Hobbs dropped into his seat.

I knowed it was a put-up job, he said. "I knowed it; and they done it on account o' him bein' a 'Merican!"

Done it! cried Dick, with disgust. "SHE done it, that's who done it. She was allers up to her tricks; an' I'll tell yer wot come to me, the minnit I saw her pictur. There was one o' them papers we saw had a letter in it that said somethin' 'bout her boy, an' it said he had a scar on his chin. Put them two together—her 'n' that there scar! Why, that there boy o' hers aint no more a lord than I am! It's BEN's boy,—the little chap she hit when she let fly that plate at me."

Professor Dick Tipton had always been a sharp boy, and earning his living in the streets of a big city had made him still sharper. He had learned to keep his eyes open and his wits about him, and it must be confessed he enjoyed immensely the excitement and impatience of that moment. If little Lord Fauntleroy could only have looked into the store that morning, he would certainly have been interested, even if all the discussion and plans had been intended to decide the fate of some other boy than himself.

Mr. Hobbs was almost overwhelmed by his sense of responsibility, and Dick was all alive and full of energy. He began to write a letter to Ben, and he cut out the picture and inclosed it to him, and Mr. Hobbs wrote a letter to Cedric and one to the Earl. They were in the midst of this letterwriting when a new idea came to Dick.

Say, he said, "the feller that give me the paper, he's a lawyer. Let's ax him what we'd better do. Lawyers knows it all."

Mr. Hobbs was immensely impressed by this suggestion and Dick's business capacity.

That's so! he replied. "This here calls for lawyers."

And leaving the store in the care of a substitute, he struggled into his coat and marched down-town with Dick, and the two presented themselves with their romantic story in Mr. Harrison's office, much to that young man's astonishment.

If he had not been a very young lawyer, with a very enterprising mind and a great deal of spare time on his hands, he might not have been so readily interested in what they had to say, for it all certainly sounded very wild and queer; but he chanced to want something to do very much, and he chanced to know Dick, and Dick chanced to say his say in a very sharp, telling sort of way.

And, said Mr. Hobbs, "say what your time's worth a' hour and look into this thing thorough, and I'LL pay the damage,—Silas Hobbs, corner of Blank street, Vegetables and Fancy Groceries."

Well, said Mr. Harrison, "it will be a big thing if it turns out all right, and it will be almost as big a thing for me as for Lord Fauntleroy; and, at any rate, no harm can be done by investigating. It appears there has been some dubiousness about the child. The woman contradicted herself in some of her statements about his age, and aroused suspicion. The first persons to be written to are Dick's brother and the Earl of Dorincourt's family lawyer."

And actually, before the sun went down, two letters had been written and sent in two different directions—one speeding out of New York harbor on a mail steamer on its way to England, and the other on a train carrying letters and passengers bound for California. And the first was addressed to T. Havisham, Esq., and the second to Benjamin Tipton.

And after the store was closed that evening, Mr. Hobbs and Dick sat in the back-room and talked together until midnight.

第十三章　迪克来相救

当然啦，方特勒罗伊勋爵的故事和多林考特伯爵的困扰，一经英国报纸的讨论，就受到了美国报纸的报道。这故事太有趣了，所以报界不会轻易放过，它被谈论得很多很多。不同的说法是如此之多，以至于如果你把所有有关的报纸都买来，将它们互相比较一下，你会有所启发。霍布斯先生读了很多，但后来他自己也变得迷惑不解了。有一张报纸将他年幼的朋友塞德里克描写成一个还被抱在手里的娃娃——而另一张报纸则把塞德里克说成是牛津大学的青年学生，赢得了所有的奖励，并且通过写作希腊语诗歌脱颖而出；还有一张报纸说，他已经跟一个非常年轻漂亮的贵族小姐订了婚，那位小姐是一个公爵的女儿；另外有报纸说，他刚刚结婚。实际上，只有一点没有被报纸说到，即他是一个七八岁的小男孩，长着漂亮的双腿和卷曲的头发。别的说法还有，比如说他跟多林考特伯爵根本没有关系。多林考特家族的律师来到美国，寻找伯爵的继承人，他母亲欺骗了那个律师，而在此之前，他也只不过是一个小骗子，在纽约卖卖报纸，还露宿街头呢。报纸还说到了新出现的方特勒罗伊勋爵及其母亲。有时候把那个母亲说成是吉卜赛人，有时候说成是女演员，有时候说成是漂亮的西班牙女郎，但是大家一致认为，多林考特伯爵是她不共戴天的死对头，不愿意把她的儿子认作继承人。另外，由于她所提供的文件有问题，人们预料，此案将有一个漫长的审讯过程，那将比以往法庭上出现的任何情况都更加有趣。霍布斯先生经常读这些报纸，直读到脑袋发晕。晚上，他就和迪克一起，详细地谈论了此事。他们弄明白了，多林考特伯爵是多么重要的一个人物，他拥有多么可观的收入，还有多少领地，他住的城堡是多么庄严而美丽。他们读得越多，变得越兴奋。

“我们似乎应该做点什么。”霍布斯先生说。

但是，他们实际上能够做的，只不过是分别给塞德里克写了封信，信上强调了他们的友谊和同情。他们是一听说那个消息就写信的。写完后，他们互相交换着看了。

霍布斯先生在迪克的信中读到：

亲爱的朋友，我收到了你的来信，霍布斯先生也收到了你写给他的信。你倒霉了，为此我们感到很难过，我们要对你说尽可能地坚持不要让任何人抢在你前头。这世上有很多老贼，如果你让自己的眼睛受到蒙蔽的话，他们就会竭尽全力来利用你。不过我最想说的是我没有忘记你为我做的事，如果你没有别的更好的出路，你就回到这儿来跟我搭档干活。生意还不错，我保证你不会受到伤害，如果有人企图来抢夺生意，即使他是个大个子你也会迅速把他摆平的，因为有我普勒费塞·迪克·蒂普顿这个行家在。今天就谈这么多吧。

迪克

迪克在霍布斯先生的信中读到：

亲爱的阁下，你的信我已收到，信上说事情挺糟糕的，我相信这是一个预先设计好的阴谋，那些参与阴谋的人你应该擦亮眼睛好好盯着他们。保持镇定，我会找一个律师，我会做我所能做的一切。如果最糟糕的情况发生，对于我们来说这世上伯爵已经太多了，我杂货店的生意倒是需要一个搭档，这是为你准备的，等你长大了你会在这儿有家有朋友。

你真诚的　塞勒斯·霍布斯

“呃，”霍布斯先生说，“如果他不是伯爵的话，我们俩都会给他提供出路的。”

“你说得对，”迪克说，“我会站在他这边。如果我不喜欢那样一个一流的小家伙，我会被天打雷劈的。”

就在第二天上午，迪克的一个顾客使事情有了转折。他是一个刚刚开业的年轻律师，由于太年轻，他穷得不能再穷了，但他是一个聪明的、精力充沛的小伙子，敏锐又机灵，而且脾气很好。就在迪克的擦鞋摊旁边，他有一间简陋的办公室。迪克每天早上都为他擦鞋，他通常会对迪克友好地打声招呼，或者开个玩笑。

就在那天上午，当他把一只脚搁在供休息的小凳子上时，他手里拿着一张有插图的报纸——是一张很开明的报纸，上面登载着引人注目的人和事的照片。他刚刚把报纸看完。当迪克把他的最后一只鞋子擦亮时，他把报纸交给了迪克。

“这张报纸给你吧，迪克。”他说，“当你顺便去戴尔莫尼科店里去吃早饭时，你可以看看。里面有英国城堡的照片，还有英国伯爵的儿媳妇的照片。你应该熟悉一下贵族和绅士的情况，迪克。前面的照片是多林考特伯爵和方特勒罗伊夫人的。喂！我说，你出什么事了？”

他说到的照片登载在头版上，迪克盯着其中的一张，眼睛和嘴巴都张得大大的。他那轮廓分明的脸几乎兴奋得苍白了。

“多少钱，迪克？”那年轻人说，“是什么让你这么吃惊？”

迪克的表情看上去真的好像有什么大事发生了似的。他指着那张照片，照片的下面写着：

“要求正当权利的孩子的母亲（方特勒罗伊夫人）。”

这是一张漂亮女人的照片，她的眼睛大大的，黑色的大辫子盘在头上。

“是她！”迪克说，“天啊，我了解她比了解你还要多！”

那年轻人笑了起来。

“你是在什么地方见过她的，迪克？”他说，“在新港，还是上次你跑步去巴黎的时候？”

迪克完全意识不到这是句笑话。他开始收拾鞋刷子和其他东西，就好像他有要事要办，他得立即停下生意。

“您别介意。”迪克说，“我真的认识她！今儿上午我不干活了。”

从说这话之后，不到五分钟的时间里，迪克穿街走巷，来到了街道拐角处霍布斯先生的杂货店里。当霍布斯先生的目光穿过柜台，看见迪克手里拿着报纸，冲进店里时，他几乎不能相信自己的眼睛。迪克跑得上气不接下气，事实上，当他把报纸扔在柜台上时，他几乎气喘得连话都说不出来。

“喂！”霍布斯先生叫道，“喂！你带来了什么东西？”

“你看吧！”迪克气喘吁吁地说，“看照片上的那个女人！就是你看见的那张！她不是什么贵族，她不是！”他强烈地嘲笑道，“她可不是什么勋爵的妻子。如果她不是明娜——明娜，你就吃了我！无论在什么地方，我都能把她认出来，本也能。只要去问他就行。”

霍布斯先生倒在了座位上。

“我知道这是一个预先谋划好的圈套。”他说，“我早就知道，他们这么做，只是因为他是一个美国人！”

“阴谋！”迪克厌恶地大喊道，“是她，就是她谋划的。她一直很会耍阴谋诡计；我要告诉你，我看见她的照片时的感觉。在我们所看见的报纸的一个版面上，登载了一封信，信上说了些她的孩子的事，就是说那孩子的下巴上有一个伤疤。她的孩子跟我一样，绝对不能成为勋爵！因为那是本的孩子——那回，她飞起盘子打向我的时候，打中的就是这个孩子，所以留下了伤疤。”

迪克·蒂普顿一直是个敏锐的少年，他在大城市的大街上谋生，这使他变得更加敏锐。他学会了时刻睁大眼睛，对周围的事物保持警惕。必须承认，那一时刻，他非常兴奋、急躁。那天上午，如果小方特勒罗伊勋爵能够看到店里的情况，纵然迪克和霍布斯先生所有的讨论和计划，都是要决定另一个男孩子的而不是他的命运，他也肯定会很感兴趣。

霍布斯先生几乎被他自己的责任感给控制了，而迪克一直生机勃勃、充满活力。他开始给本写信，还把照片从报纸上剪下来，也装在信中，寄给了本。霍布斯先生给塞德里克和伯爵分别写了一封信。正在他们写信的过程中，突然迪克又想出了一个主意。

“听我说，”他说，“给我报纸的那个家伙，他是一个律师，咱们去问问他，咱们最好怎么干。律师们精通这一切。”

迪克的这个提议和迪克的办事能力，在霍布斯先生心中留下了很深的印象。

“就那么办！”他答道，“这事该请教律师。”

霍布斯先生把杂货店交给另一个人照管，匆匆忙忙地穿上外衣，跟迪克一起，迅速地走到城里。当他们俩在哈里森先生的办公室里，讲述那个离奇的故事时，那位年轻的律师大吃一惊。

如果他不是一个非常年轻的律师，很有进取心，而且手头有许多闲暇的时间，他可能不会对他们俩所讲的故事兴趣盎然，因为故事听起来实在是太稀奇古怪了、太荒唐无稽了。但是，他正好很想找点儿事干，而且他又正好认识迪克，迪克呢，又正好以一种非常显豁而生动的方式讲述了他的故事。

“还有，”霍布斯先生补充道，“说说你服务一个小时收多少钱，彻底将这件案子调查清楚又需要多少钱，我会赔偿你的损失的——我叫塞勒斯·霍布斯，在银行街的拐角处开了一家卖蔬菜和花朵等的杂货店。”

“呃，”哈里森先生说，“如果最后能查个水落石出，这将是一件大事，对于我，对于方特勒罗伊勋爵来说，这都将是一件大事。无论如何，调查不能给他造成任何伤害。那个孩子身上显示出了一些可疑之处。在关于孩子年龄的陈述中，那个女人是自相矛盾的，这引起了人们的怀疑。首先要给迪克的哥哥和多林考特伯爵的家庭律师写信。”

在太阳落山之前，两封信就已经写好了，分别寄给了两个地方——一封迅速地转出纽约港，乘着邮轮，奔向英国；另一封乘着一列开往加利福尼亚的旅客列车。头一封是寄给哈维沙姆先生的，第二封是寄给本加明·蒂普顿的。

那天晚上，杂货店打烊后，霍布斯和迪克坐在里屋中，一直交谈到午夜。