And, after this, the more he saw of little Lord Fauntleroy, the more of
a surprise he found him. He knew very little about children, though he
had seen plenty of them in England--fine, handsome, rosy girls and boys,
who were strictly taken care of by their tutors and governesses, and who
were sometimes shy, and sometimes a trifle boisterous, but never very
interesting to a ceremonious, rigid old lawyer. Perhaps his personal
interest in little Lord Fauntleroy's fortunes made him notice Ceddie
more than he had noticed other children; but, however that was, he
certainly found himself noticing him a great deal.

Cedric did not know he was being observed, and he only behaved himself
in his ordinary manner. He shook hands with Mr. Havisham in his friendly
way when they were introduced to each other, and he answered all his
questions with the unhesitating readiness with which he answered Mr.
Hobbs. He was neither shy nor bold, and when Mr. Havisham was talking to
his mother, the lawyer noticed that he listened to the conversation with
as much interest as if he had been quite grown up.

"He seems to be a very mature little fellow," Mr. Havisham said to the
mother.

"I think he is, in some things," she answered. "He has always been very
quick to learn, and he has lived a great deal with grownup people. He
has a funny little habit of using long words and expressions he has read
in books, or has heard others use, but he is very fond of childish
play. I think he is rather clever, but he is a very boyish little boy,
sometimes."

The next time Mr. Havisham met him, he saw that this last was quite
true. As his coupe turned the corner, he caught sight of a group of