Beyond her own expectation came success in this effort.

The reason she invented or imagined, for the father's refusal, satisfied the child; and soon the clouded brow was lit up by the heart's sunshine.
From that hour, Mrs.Leslie was changed.

From that hour, a new purpose filled her heart.

She could not leave her children, nor could she take them with her if she passed away; and so, she resolved to live for them, to forget her own suffering, in the tenderness of maternal care.

The mother had risen superior to the unhappy, unappreciated wife.
All marked the change; yet in none did it awaken more surprise than in Mr.Leslie.He never fully understood its meaning; and, no wonder, for he had never understood her from the beginning.