When Mr. Havisham received Mr. Bennington's letter, he hurried to the castle.
"Finally!" he said to the earl. "We finally have some solid proof that this boy is an imposter."
The earl read Mr. Bennington's letter and looked at the newspaper photo. "This will be the end of that dreadful woman!"
"She was definitely married to Bevis," Mr. Havisham said. "But I believe her son is older than she says."
"What are you going to do next?" the earl asked.
"I'll send a cable to Ben and Dick, asking them to come as soon as possible. I imagine Minna—that's her real name—will be surprised and dismayed to see them." Mr. Havisham chuckled. "Meanwhile I'll keep pretending that I'm not suspicious of her!"
One morning Mr. Havisham and the earl arrived in Minna's sitting room at the inn. She was sitting on the sofa, making a list of clothes she required.
"The earl and I have brought some old friends to see you," the lawyer said.
"Old friends?" Minna gave him a suspicious look.
"More than friends—family," said Ben, entering the room.
Minna sprang to her feet and cried out in alarm. "I never expected to see you again!"
Mr. Havisham glanced from Ben to Dick. "Do you know her?"
Dick grinned. "Of course we do! Hello, Minna!"
"I'll stand up in any court and say she was my wife," Ben said. "My brother and her father will also testify that she married me."
"He's lying!" Minna cried. "I've never seen these guys before."
Ben ignored her protests. "Where's our boy, Minna? I'm through with you and so is he. I'm taking him back to America with me."
At that moment the door leading to the bedroom opened. A boy who looked just like Ben peeked into the sitting room.
"Look at his chin!" Dick said. "I told you he had a scar."
Everyone peered at the boy's chin.
Ben walked over to him. "Tom, I'm your father, and I'm taking you with me. Where's your hat?"
The boy pointed to a hat on a chair. Ben picked it up and took Tom by the hand.
"If you need me again, you know where to find me," Ben said to Mr. Havisham. He left the room without looking at Minna.
"Stop that man! He's kidnapping my son!" Minna screamed.
Just as he'd done before, the earl stayed quiet and stared at Minna.
"We've done some investigating, Minna," Mr. Havisham said. "We know you abandoned your son years ago. Recently you took him from the parents who have raised him. It's time for you to stop harassing the earl and his family."
Full of fury, Minna went into the bedroom and slammed the door.
"She won't dare show her face around here again," Mr. Havisham said. "If she does, she'll be in trouble with the law. I'll make sure she's on the next train to London."
"As for you, young man . . ." The earl turned to Dick. "I'll be forever grateful. You recognized this imposter and stopped her from breaking up my family."
"Mr. Hobbs and I had to help Cedric, sir," Dick said. "Because everybody likes him!"
"I'll see you at the castle for dinner tonight," the earl said. "But first I have to tell Lord Fauntleroy—the real Lord Fauntleroy—the good news."
When the earl arrived at Mrs. Errol's cottage, she was sitting in the main room.
"Where's Lord Fauntleroy?" the earl asked.
Mrs. Errol stepped forward to greet him. "You mean Cedric is still Lord Fauntleroy?"
"Yes, the matter has been settled." The earl grasped Mrs. Errol's hands in his.
"Cedric! Come quickly!" Mrs. Errol called.
"What is it, Mama? Is something wrong?" Cedric ran into the room and flung his arms around her neck. "Hello, Grandpapa! What are you doing here?"
"I've come to tell you the good news. You are the real Lord Fauntleroy."
"Oh, Grandpapa! I'm so glad!" Now it was the earl's turn to receive a hug from Cedric.
"I also want you to do me a favor," the earl said. "Please ask your mother to come with us to the castle."
Cedric's eyes were wide. "Do you mean to live with us?"
The earl nodded.
Mrs. Errol smiled. "Are you sure you want me to do that, my lord?"
"Quite sure!" the earl said. "Please come as soon as possible." He looked up as Cedric dashed toward the doorway. "Where are you going, Cedric?"
Little Lord Fauntleroy beamed. "To write to my friend Mr. Hobbs. I want to tell him everything—and invite him to visit us!"