Of a sudden, the oft-told family tales to which she had listened since babyhood, listened half-bored, impatient and but partly comprehending, were crystal clear.
During the babyhood of each child she had been too busy, too worried with money matters, too sharp and easily vexed, to win their confidence or affection.
Where today parents save first curls as a souvenir of babyhood, in the 19th century it became fashionable to work the hair of a dead beloved into a locket, bracelet or even a ring.