To me she had ever a strong dislike. Even from
my early childhood, she was jealous, strange as it
may seem, of my interest in my mother's affections;
she saw my foibles and vices with abhorrence, and
without a grain of allowance; nor did she pardon
the weakness of maternal affection, even when, by
the death of two brothers, I came to be the only
child of a widowed parent. At the time my disorderly
conduct induced my mother to leave Glentanner,
and retreat to her jointure-house, I always
blamed Christie Steele for having influenced her
resentment, and prevented her from listening to my
vows of amendment, which at times were real and
serious, and might perhaps, have accelerated that
change of disposition which has since, I trust taken
place. But Christie regarded me as altogether a
doomed and predestinated child of perdition, who
was sure to hold on my course, and drag downwards
whosoever might attempt to afford me support.
Still, though I knew such had been Christie's
prejudices against me in other days, yet I thought
enough of time had since passed away to destroy
all of them. I knew, that when, through the disorder
of my affairs, my mother underwent some
temporary inconvenience about money matters,
Christie, as a thing of course, stood in the gap, and
having sold a small inheritance which had descended
to her, brought the purchase-money to her mistress,
with a sense of devotion as deep as that which inspired
the Christians of the first age, when they
sold all they had, and followed the apostles of the
church.
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