THE
ADOPTED DAUGHTER,
FOR
YOUNG PERSONS.
other Approved Works.
"You took me up a tender flower."
SECOND EDITION.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR J. HARRIS AND SON,
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD.
1822.
LONDON
PRINTED BY COX AND BAYLIS,
GREAT QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S-INN-FIELDS.
PREFACE.
The following tale is intended toshew what people ought to be, ratherthan what they are; as there are few,possessing Mrs. Meridith's fortune,who have an inclination to disposeof it in the manner she is representedto have done. Indeed, the charactershere introduced are too near perfectionto be met with in real life, yetthe Author hopes that her youngreaders will receive instruction, aswell as amusement, in perusing it.
Some of the incidents may havebeen before introduced in works ofthe same kind; though she is notaware of plagiarism, or borrowingfrom other authors, and as she hasendeavoured to pourtray those smallerdelineations of character which oftenescape a general observer, she hopesmany of the ideas will be found to benew; and that the present work willnot lesson the favour which her formerpublications has so abundantlymet with; and which she holds ingrateful estimation.
THE
ADOPTED DAUGHTER.
CHAPTER I.
"You took me up a tender flower."
Mrs. Meridith was the heiress of twoconsiderable estates, one of which was inSussex, on which she was born, and where,at the commencement of this history, shecame to reside: her earliest and happiestdays of childhood had been spent in thevillage adjoining, where she was nursed bya respectable farmer's wife, having had themisfortune to lose her mother, who died in[Pg 2]bringing her into the world. Various sorrows,and the loss of an affectionate husbandvery early in life, made Mrs. Meridithprefer the quiet scenes of the countryto the glitter of dissipation, or themore uniform amusements of a provincialtown; and on entering Rosewood, thename of her estate, she hoped to lose theremembrance of her distresses, which hadhitherto heavily oppressed her, in endeavouringto alleviate those of her tenantsand the neighbouring poor. Her father,Mr. Woodville, was a great fox-hunter,and on the death of his wife, which he didnot feel so keenly as might be expectedfrom the amiable character she possessed,earnestly entreated Mrs. Campbell, who wasthe wife of his favourite tenant, to tak