As was ever his way he was silent and controlled about the matter, asked very few questions, and although he talked to himself a little did not disturb the general peace of the nursery.

On Mary and Helen the effect of the posters had been less.

Mary was following the adventures of the May family in "The Daisy Chain," and Helen was making necklaces for herself out of a box of beads that had been given her.
When Jeremy said once, "Who was the man in the red trousers with gold on them ?" no one paid any attention save Hamlet, who wagged his tail, looked wise and growled a little.
Who indeed could tell how he ached and longed and desired He had a very vague idea as to the nature of a play; they had often dressed up at home and pretended to be different things and people, and, of course, he knew by heart the whole history of Dick Whittington, but this knowledge and experience did not in the least force him to realise that this performance of Mr.Denny's was simply a larger, more developed "dressing up" and pretending.

In some mysterious but nevertheless direct fashion Dick Whittington was coming to Polchester.

It was just as he had heard for a long time of the existence of Aunt Emily who lived in Manchester--and then one day she appeared in a black bonnet and a shawl, and gave them wet kisses and sixpence apiece.
Dick Whittington was coming, having perhaps heard that Polchester was a very jolly place.