opportunity for affecting her purpose had pretended a most affectionate
compassion for Miss Melvyn's deep affliction; she visited her
continually; and appeared so tenderly attached to her that Miss Melvyn,
who had neither experience nor any guile in her own heart to inspire her
with suspicions of an attempt to deceive her, made that return of
affection which she thought gratitude required; nor was she at all
disturbed when she found she was soon to look on this lady in another
light than that in which she had hitherto seen her; it was easy for her
to respect one whom she before loved; and she had been taught so true a
veneration for her father, that she felt no averseness to obey
whomsoever he thought proper to give a title to her duty.

Miss Melvyn had but very little time to congratulate herself on having
acquired for a mother a friend in whose conversation she hoped to enjoy
great satisfaction and to feel the tenderness of an intimate changed
into the fondness of a parent. She behaved to her with the same perfect
respect, and all the humility of obedience, as if nature had placed her
in that parental relation; fearing, if she gave way to the familiarity
which had subsisted between them when they were on an equality, it might
appear like a failure in the reverence due to her new situation.

But this behaviour, amiable as it was, could not make the new Lady
Melvyn change the plan she had formed for her future conduct. She had
not been married above a month before she began to intimate to Sir
Charles that Miss Melvyn's education had been very imperfect; that a
young lady of her rank ought to be highly accomplished; but that after
she had been so long indulged by her parents, if a step-mother were to
pretend to direct her it might not only exasperate Miss Melvyn but
prejudice the world against herself; as people are too apt to determine
against persons in that relation, without examining the merits of the
cause; and though, she said, she was little concerned about the opinion
of the world in comparison with her tender regard for any one that
belonged to him; yet she was much influenced by the other reasons she
had alleged for not appearing to dictate to Miss Melvyn, being very
desirous of keeping on affectionate terms with her; and she was already
much mortified at perceiving that young lady had imbibed too many of the
vulgar prejudices against a step-mother; though, for her part, she had
endeavoured to behave with sub