Little Lord Fauntleroy

Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Virtual Entertainment, 2015

Series: World classic books

Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by author. The novel is included in the top 100 of the world literature.

In a shabby New York side street in the mid-1880s, young Cedric Errol lives with his mother (known only as Mrs. Errol or "Dearest") in genteel poverty after the death of his father, Captain Cedric Errol. One day, they are visited by an English lawyer named Haversham with a message from Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt. With the deaths of his father's elder brothers, Cedric has now inherited the title Lord Fauntleroy and is the heir to the Earldom and a vast estate. Cedric's grandfather wants him to live in England and be educated as an English aristocrat. The Earl despises America and is deeply disappointed with Cedric's father, his favourite son, for marrying an American. He offers his son's widow a house and guaranteed income, but he refuses to have anything to do with her, even after she declines his money.

However, the Earl is impressed by the appearance and intelligence of his American grandson, and is charmed by his innocent nature. Cedric believes his grandfather to be an honorable man and benefactor, and the Earl cannot disappoint him. He therefore becomes a benefactor to his tenants, to their delight.

A pretender to Cedric's inheritance appears, his mother claiming that he is the son of the Earl's eldest son. However, the claim is investigated and proven by Cedric's loyal friends in New York, one of whom – a bootblack– recognises the woman as the missing wife of his brother and the alleged heir as his own nephew. The Earl is reconciled to his American daughter-in-law, realising that she is far superior to the imposter.

The Earl planned to teach his grandson how to be an aristocrat. Instead, Cedric teaches his grandfather that an aristocrat should practice compassion towards those dependent on him. He becomes the man Cedric always innocently believed him to be. Cedric's mother is invited by the Earl to live in the ancestral castle, and Cedric's old friend Mr. Hobbs, the New York City grocer, who came to England to help investigate the false claim, decides to stay to help look after Cedric.

-- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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