known about, long before that. Mr. Hobbs says
he will never be forgotten. That's because of the Declaration of
Independence, you know, and the Fourth of July. You see, he was a very
brave man."

"The first Earl of Dorincourt," said Mr. Havisham solemnly, "was created
an earl four hundred years ago."

"Well, well!" said Ceddie. "That was a long time ago! Did you tell
Dearest that? It would int'rust her very much. We'll tell her when she
comes in. She always likes to hear cur'us things. What else does an earl
do besides being created?"

"A great many of them have helped to govern England. Some of them have
been brave men and have fought in great battles in the old days."

"I should like to do that myself," said Cedric. "My papa was a soldier,
and he was a very brave man--as brave as George Washington. Perhaps
that was because he would have been an earl if he hadn't died. I am glad
earls are brave. That's a great 'vantage--to be a brave man. Once I used
to be rather afraid of things--in the dark, you know; but when I thought
about the soldiers in the Revolution and George Washington--it cured
me."

"There is another advantage in being an earl, sometimes," said Mr.
Havisham slowly, and he fixed his shrewd eyes on the little boy with a
rather curious expression. "Some earls have a great deal of money."

He was curious because he wondered if his young friend knew what the
power of money was.

"That's a good thing to have," said Ceddie innocently. "I wish I had a
great deal of money."

"Do you?" said Mr. Havisham. "And why?"

"Well," explained Cedric, "there are so many things a person can do with
money. You see, there's the apple-woman. If I were very rich I should
buy her a little tent to put her stall in, and a little stove, and then
I should give her a dollar every morning it rained, so that she could
afford to stay at home. And then--oh! I'd give her a shawl. And, you
see, her bones wouldn't feel so badly. Her bones are not like our bones;
they hurt her when she moves. It's very painful when your bones hurt
you. If I were rich enough to do all those things for her, I guess her
bones would be all right."

"Ahem!" said Mr. Havisham. "And what else would you do if you were
rich?"

"Oh! I'd do a great many things. Of course I should buy Dearest all
sorts of beautiful things, needle-books and fans and gold thimbles and
rings, and an encyclopedia, and a carriage, so that she needn't have to
wait for the street-ca