A very <em>interesting </em>way to state that the character has bloomed/matured/grown. It's visible this character has grown physically/emotionally/mentally. And the author wants you to see that.
Direct characterization is when the author specifically tells the reader the traits of a character. In this excerpt, Dickens tells you that the woman is elderly, wise, experienced and knows what is "good for children". If Dickens had used indirect characterization, he would have need to shown her wisdom and experience by including specific examples. The reader would then be lead to develop his own conclusion about the whether or not the woman was wise and experienced.
