Oldal 45 [45]
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY 25
sz st
into his mothers arms. He experienced a revulsion of feeling which
was quite exciting. He recognized in an instant that here was one
ot the finest and handsomest little fellows he had ever seen. His
beauty was something unusual. He had a strong, lithe, graceful
little body and a manly little face; he held his childish head up, and
carried himself with a brave air; he was so like his father that
it was really startling; he had his fathers golden hair and his
mother’s brown eyes, but there was nothing sorrowful or timid in
them. lhey were innocently fearless eyes; he looked as if he had
never feared or doubted anything in his life.
‘“He is the best-bred-looking and handsomest little fellow I ever
saw, was what Mr. Havisham thought. What he said aloud was
simply, "" And so this is little Lord Fauntleroy.”
And, after this, the more he saw of little Lord Fauntleroy, the
more of a surprise he found him. He knew very little about chil¬
dren, though he had seen plenty of them in England — fine, hand¬
some, 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 readi¬
ness 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.