When not waiting upon the invalid Mother Marklin, Bess broke into her father's bookshelves, and read the owlish authors such as Bacon and Dr.Johnson, with side-flights into Montaigne, Voltaire, Amiel, and others of hectic kidney.

She discovered, moreover, a sympathy with those women of strong minds who have a quarrel with Providence for that they were not made men.

Bess believed in the equality of the sexes, without pausing to ask in what they were unequal, and stood stoutly for the Rights of Woman, knowing not wherein She was wronged or in what manner and to what extent She had been given the worst of life's bargain.

Bess was not a blue-stocking, as Richard would have had it, and made no literary pretenses; but she suffered from opinions concerning topics such as husband and wife, that so far had had nothing better than theory to rest upon.

All the same, her friends were deeply satisfied with Bess; which helped that young lady to a sense of satisfaction with herself and with them.
As head of the Marklins, Bess was made to decide things for herself.