The Widow Dale of Allington As Mrs Dale, of the Small House, was not a Dale by birth, there can be no necessity for insisting on the fact that none of the Dale peculiarities should be sought for in her character.

These peculiarities were not, perhaps, very conspicuous in her daughters, who had taken more in that respect from their mother than from their father; but a close observer might recognise the girls as Dales.

They were constant, perhaps obstinate, occasionally a little uncharitable in their judgment, and prone to think that there was a great deal in being a Dale, though not prone to say much about it.

But they had also a better pride than this, which had come to them as their mother's heritage.
Mrs Dale was certainly a proud woman,--not that there was anything appertaining to herself in which she took a pride.

In birth she had been much lower than her husband, seeing that her grandfather had been almost nobody.