The Small House at Allington Chapter III - The Widow Dale of Allington

In which Mrs. Dale, a proud yet somewhat isolated widow, devotes herself quietly to the wellbeing and appearances of her two daughters, navigating the delicate relations with their kindly but distant uncle, the squire. As the young ladies prepare for an evening at the Great House, under the gentle moonlight and among hopes of suitors, their mother contemplates her place in their lives and the future with a mixture of melancholy and steadfast affection.