She worried as to what she had better eat and what she had better not eat.

If her stomach was tired and some simple food disagreed with her all the discomfort was attributed to the food, instead of to the real cause,--a tired stomach,--and the cause back of that,--strained nerves.

The consequence was that one kind of wholesome food after another was cut off as being impossible for her to eat.
Anything that this poor little invalid did not like about circumstances or people she felt ugly and cried over.

Finally, the entire family were centered about her illness, either in overcare or annoyance.
You see, she kept constantly repeating her brain impression of overfatigue: first annoyance because she stayed awake; then annoyance at noises; then excited distress that she should have stayed awake all night; then resistance and anger at other people who interfered with her.

Over and over that brain impression of nervous illness was repeated by the woman herself and people about her until she seemed settled into it for the rest of her life.