She had a brother and a sister--the sister married a German merchant, settled in New York; the brother comfortably established as a sheep-farmer in Australia.

So, you see, she was alone at home, at the mercy of the step-mother.

I don't understand these cases myself, but people who do, tell me that there are generally faults on both sides.

To make matters worse, they were a poor family; the one rich relative being a sister of the first wife, who disapproved of the widower marrying again, and never entered the house afterwards.

Well, the step-mother had a sharp tongue, and Mellicent was the first person to feel the sting of it.