I not try to make such a being love
me? Why should we not be very happy together? There is Randall, to be
sure, sets herself extremely against it; but, as Catherine says, 'Is
Randall to be mistress in this family, or am I?' It is come quite to
that point. And then it will be a great thing to have somebody between
me and Randall. She will not be so necessary to me then, whatever she
may be to the general; and when she makes herself so disagreeable, if
this young lady is as comfortable to me as Catherine says she will be, I
really shall not so much care.

"Then," continuing her meditations, which, though I put down in black
and white, were _thought_, not spoken, "then Catherine says she is so
greatly to be pitied, and is so exemplary; and she said, in her darling,
coaxing way, 'dear mamma, it will give you so much pleasure to make the
poor thing a little amends for all her hardships, and if poor papa is a
little cross at times, it will be quite an interest to you to contrive
to make up for it. She will be quite a daughter to you, and, in one
respect, you will have more pleasure in making her happy than even in
your own loving daughter, because one is dear from our natural
affections, and the other will be so from generous beneficence; and
though natural affection is such a sweet, precious, inestimable thing,
generous beneficence is yet nobler, and brings us still nearer to God.'

"If I could make her love me!--and with such an affectionate temper why
should I not? She wants a parent, I want a child. If I study her
happiness disinterestedly, kindly, truly, she can not help loving me;
but I will not even think of myself, I will try to study _her_ good,
_her_ well-being; and I will let the love for me come or not as it may,
and God will help me. He always does help me--when I have the courage to
dare to forget myself, and leave the issues of things to His
Providence."

Such were the dispositions upon both sides with which the two met. But
the best resolutions win no battle. They are part, and a very serious
part of every undertaking, but they are far from being all. We are so
imperfect ourselves, and we have to do with such imperfect beings, that
evils and difficulties, unexpected, are sure to arise in our
communication with others, even when both sides meet with the very best
intentions; therefore, whoever intends to carry out such good
intentions, and make a right piece of work of it, must calculate upon
these things, j