"I'll be sorry to leave Mr. Hobbs," Cedric told his mother at breakfast the next morning. "I'll miss all my friends, but especially him. And he'll miss me."
"I understand, Cedric," Mrs. Errol said. "I'll miss my friends and Mary and this little house . . ." Her voice trailed off, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Cedric got up and gave her a hug. "We'll manage, Mama."
As soon as the grocery store opened, Cedric went to see Mr. Hobbs.
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"Good morning!" the grocer said, setting aside his newspaper.
"Hello," Cedric said mournfully. He didn't climb onto his usual stool but stood with his hands in his pockets. He dreaded breaking the news to his friend.
"Mr. Hobbs, do you remember what we were talking about yesterday?" Cedric said.
"Hmm," Mr. Hobbs said. "I think it was England."
"Yes, but when Mary arrived . . . what were we discussing then?" Cedric asked.
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"Let's see." Mr. Hobbs rubbed his chin. "Queen Victoria and the aristocracy."
"And earls. You said you wouldn't have any earls sitting around here, wearing their robes and coronets."
"That's right!" Mr. Hobbs said. "And I called them tyrants too!"
"I forgot that part." Cedric turned bright red with embarrassment as he took a seat on a barrel. "Well, Mr. Hobbs, an earl is sitting here right now."
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The grocer almost jumped out of his chair. "What?"
"Yes, I am an earl—or rather I'm going to be one."
Mr. Hobbs hurried to check the thermometer in the front window.
"It's a hot day, and the heat has gone to your head. How do you feel?" Mr. Hobbs asked with concern. "Do you hurt anywhere?"
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He laid his hand on Cedric's forehead. "Poor Cedric," he thought. "Something is very wrong with him today!"
"Thank you, but I'm all right," Cedric said. "I'm just sorry to say I'm really going to be an earl. That's why Mary fetched me. The earl's lawyer traveled all the way from England to tell my mother."
Mr. Hobbs sank into his chair and mopped his face with his handkerchief. "One of us has heatstroke!"
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"No, we're both fine. Now let me tell you what the lawyer said."
Mr. Hobbs listened carefully as Cedric told the story of how he became Lord Fauntleroy. When Cedric finished, the grocer asked, "Who's your grandfather?"
Cedric pulled a paper from his pocket. "I wrote down his name because I couldn't remember it all. John Arthur Molyneux Errol, Earl of Dorincourt. And that's who I'll be someday, the Earl of Dorincourt."
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Mr. Hobbs let out a low whistle. "What did you say your name is now?"
"Lord Fauntleroy."
Mr. Hobbs looked amazed. "Well, isn't that something!"
"England is very far away, isn't it?" Cedric said.
"Oh my, yes. It's across the Atlantic Ocean."
"That's the worst part," Cedric said. "I probably won't see you for a long time."
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The two friends sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking about that.
Finally Mr. Hobbs spoke. "Are you sure you have to be an earl?"
Cedric nodded sadly. "I'm sure. All I can do is try to be a good one."
Cedric spent a long time talking to Mr. Hobbs. On his way home, he saw some of his friends. They were taking turns racing against each other.
"Come on, Cedric!" one boy called. "Join us! You can race Billy to the lamppost by your house."
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Cedric quickly forgot about being an earl and joined Billy at the starting line. At just this moment, Mr. Havisham's carriage pulled into Cedric's street. Mr. Havisham signaled for the driver to stop so he could watch the race.
"Ready, set, go!" the first boy called, and the racers took off.
"Come on, Lord Fauntleroy!" Mr. Havisham said quietly.
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Cedric ran as fast as he could and touched the lamppost two seconds before Billy.
"Bravo, Lord Fauntleroy!" Mr. Havisham said more loudly this time.
"Three cheers for Cedric!" the boys cried, surrounding their friend.
Cedric noticed Billy standing off to the side by himself. "Hey, Billy, come here!"
The winner put his arm around the loser. "You know why you lost, Billy? It's simple. My legs are longer than yours, and I'm three days older than you. That gave me a huge advantage."
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Billy slowly smiled. "Yes, Cedric, I'm sure you're right."
Mr. Havisham's smile turned into a frown. "Cedric is such a kind boy," he thought. "It's a pity he has to live with the earl. He has no idea how hard that will be."
There was something else Cedric didn't know yet. When he moved to England, he'd be living apart from his mother.