Mr. Chantrey's popularity had been a source of
great satisfaction and self-applause to her. She had foreseen how useful
he would be; what a shining light in this somewhat dark corner of the
church. The increasing congregations, and the number of carriages at the
church-door, had given her much pleasure. She had delighted in taking
the lead, side by side with her nephew, and in being looked up to in
Upton, as one who set an example in every good thing. But this
unfortunate failing in her nephew's wife, developed under her roof and
during his absence, had been a severe blow. No one directly blamed her
for it, except the late curate, Mr. Warden, and a few extravagant,
visionary persons, who deemed it best to abstain totally from the source
of so much misery and poverty among their fellow-beings, and to take
care, as far as in them lay, to place no stumbling-block in the way of
feeble feet. But, strange to say, all the estimable people in Upton
regarded her with less veneration since her niece had gone astray. Even
Ann Holland was plainly less impressed and swayed by the idea of her
goodness; and there were many others like Ann Holland.
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