tate step. Her husband had turned out to
be no better than an adventurer; had spent her fortune, which in
consequence of the irreconcilableness of her family was less than he
expected, and had broken her heart. Her infant daughter was left without
any resource. In this situation the representations of the people with
whom she happened to be placed, prevailed upon Mrs. Tyrrel, the mother
of the squire, to receive her into her family. In equity, perhaps, she
was entitled to that portion of fortune which her mother had forfeited
by her imprudence, and which had gone to swell the property of the male
representative. But this idea had never entered into the conceptions of
either mother or son. Mrs, Tyrrel conceived that she performed an act of
the most exalted benevolence in admitting Miss Emily into a sort of
equivocal situation, which was neither precisely that of a domestic, nor
yet marked with the treatment that might seem due to one of the family.

She had not, however, at first been sensible of all the mortifications
that might have been expected from her condition. Mrs. Tyrrel, though
proud and imperious, was not ill-natured. The female, who lived in the
family in the capacity of housekeeper, was a person who had seen better
days, and whose disposition was extremely upright and amiable. She early
contracted a friendship for the little Emily, who was indeed for the
most part committed to her care. Emily, on her side, fully repaid the
affection of her instructress, and learned with great docility the few
accomplishments Mrs. Jakeman was able to communicate. But most of all
she imbibed her cheerful and artless temper, that extracted the
agreeable and encouraging from all events, and prompted her to
communicate her sentiments, which were never of the cynical cast,
without modification or disguise. Besides the advantages Emily derived
from Mrs. Jakeman, she was permitted to take lessons from the masters
who were employed at Tyrrel Place for the instruction of her cousin; and
indeed, as the young gentleman was most frequently indisposed to attend
to them, they would commonly have had nothing to do, had it not been for
the fortunate presence of Miss Melville. Mrs. Tyrrel therefore
encouraged the studies of Emily on that score; in addition to which she
imagined that this living exhibition of instruction might operate as an
indirect allurement to her darling Barnabas, the only species of motive
she would suffer to be presented.