As Providence had blessed her with only one child, a daughter was surely the most fitting companion for a widowed mother.

The house Mrs.Meadowsweet lived in fitted her requirements to perfection.

In short, she was fat and comfortable, both in mind and body; she never fretted, she never worried; she was not rasping and disagreeable; she was not fault-finding.

If her nature lacked depth, it certainly did not lack affection, generosity, and a true spirit of kindliness.

If she were a little too well pleased with herself, she was also well pleased with her neighbors.