Little Lord Fauntleroy

On the way to his grandfather’s castle, Cedric is awed by the beauty and vastness of the surrounding estate and by the castle itself, which “had turrets and battlements and towers; a great deal of ivy grew upon its walls; all the broad, open space about it was laid out in terraces and lawns and beds of brilliant flowers” (93-94). He doesn’t understand why all the servants are lined up outside or why the housekeeper, expressing the sentiments of the staff, remarks that it is a great day for the castle.

Cedric meets his grandfather the Earl alone in a gloomy, cavernous room. Each is surprised by the other’s appearance:

What Cedric saw was a large old man with shaggy white hair and eyebrows, and a nose like an eagle‘s beak between his deep, fierce eyes. What the Earl saw was a graceful, childish figure in a black velvet suit, with a lace collar, and with love-locks waving about the handsome, manly little face, whose eyes met his with a look of innocent good fellowship (97).

Cedric thanks his grandfather for his generosity and they talk about what Cedric has been doing and what he used the Earl’s money for. The Earl—who expected little of Cedric and only brought him to England to save himself the embarrassment of having an untrained heir—finds himself enjoying his innocent fearlessness and friendly company. They disagree over Cedric’s nationality‑the Earl insists he’s English and Cedric in turn insists he’s American—but Cedric’s polite yet determined persistence charms the Earl into a resolution.

Going into dinner, Cedric offers himself as a physical support to his grandfather who suffers a limp from a gouty foot. This endears Cedric to the attending footman. Cedric also befriends the gatekeeper and the housekeeper during his arrival. The Earl doesn’t swear as he usually does when he walks, but he tests how much weight he can put on Cedric, who maintains composure under the strain. The large, glittering dining room makes Cedric look very small, but he doesn’t feel belittled: “he had never thought himself very large or important, and he was quite willing to accommodate himself even to circumstances which rather overpowered him” (113).

Cedric mentions that two people who weren’t friends living in a large castle might get lonely tells his grandfather he thinks he will make a good companion. At the same time, he expresses missing his mother—who he describes as his best friend—and a feeling of homesickness. The Earl feels a tinge of sympathy and is surprised by Mrs. Errol’s pleasant looks when Cedric shows him a picture.

After dinner, an exhausted Cedric falls asleep next to the Earl’s mastiff Dougal—with whom Cedric had bonded earlier—and when Mr. Havisham enters, the Earl makes an almost involuntary gesture not to disturb the two.

Cedric wakes in his large, sun-filled room, where he overhears the housekeeper Mrs. Mellon and his new personal servant, Dawson, criticizing his grandfather’s character and decision to separate him from his mother. Cedric is polite and respectful to both women and he is soon friends with Dawson, having taken an interest in her life.

In the breakfast room, he confesses to Dawson that because he’s small, he feels out of place in the big rooms of the castle, but that he wouldn’t mind it as much if his mother were there. Dawson comforts him and piques his curiosity to the items in the adjoining room, which turns out to be a colorful toy-filled space curated for him by the Earl. Cedric cries thanks to his grandfather and Dawson struggles not to share the Earl’s ulterior motive behind his generosity, recalling his words to Mr. Havisham: “Give him what will amuse him, and he’ll forget about his mother quickly enough. Amuse him, and fill his mind with other things, and we shall have no trouble. That’s boy nature” (129).

The Earl summons Cedric, referred to in the house as Lord Fauntleroy, who thanks him profusely and suggests that they play one of the games from the toy room to distract the Earl from his painful foot. The Earl is entertained by Cedric’s absorption and animation as they play.

A visitor—Reverend Mr. Mordaunt—arrives to ask the Earl to delay evicting a tenant who is behind on rent. Mr. Mordaunt is amazed to find the Earl playing cheerfully with his grandson. Usually, whenever he asks the Earl a favor, he is rude and antagonistic. The Reverend is enamored of Cedric, noting that his presence brightens the gloomy room: “And it was not the boy’s beauty and grace that which most appealed to him; it was the simple, natural kindliness in the little lad which made any words he uttered, however quaint and unexpected, sound pleasant and sincere” (138). The Earl resists granting the tenant, Higgins, leniency until Cedric says that if he were rich, he would grant it, questioning whether his grandfather’s wealth truly enables him to do anything. The Earl concedes and has Cedric grant the stay of eviction himself.

Cedric is anxious to visit his mother and the Earl tries to delay his departure by promising to show him his new pony, but upon Cedric’s insistence they forgo seeing it and ride together to Court Lodge. On the ride through the estate, Cedric is again enraptured by its beauty, a beauty that prompts to Earl to reflect that he’s never shared it with anyone he loved, instead choosing to waste his life on selfish pleasures. Cedric expresses his admiration for his grandfather’s kindness—a judgment unfamiliar to the Earl. When they reach Court Lodge, the Earl refuses to meet Mrs. Errol but watches as she and Cedric embrace lovingly.