Little curly-haired Cedric had no idea he looked like a young lord. For that matter, he had no idea what a lord was. His greatest friend was that cross, opinionated groceryman at the corner, Mr. Hobbs -- who was never cross with him.
One day while visiting Mr. Hobbs, Cedric was called to hurry home. There his eyes met those of a tall old gentleman, splendidly dressed, who rubbed his thin chin with one bony hand. He seemed not at all displeased with what he saw.
"And so, " said the man at last, slowly, "and so -- "this" is little Lord Fauntleroy!"
Francis Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) enjoyed international success with her 1886 novel "Little Lord Fauntleroy" -- a buoyant novel still popular more than a century later.