Her history was after all a mystery. Parties were divided about her. Some people who took the trouble to busy themselves in the matter said that she was the criminal, whilst others vowed that she was as innocent as a lamb and that her odious husband was in fault. She won over a good many by bursting into tears about her boy and exhibiting the most frantic grief when his name was mentioned, or she saw anybody like him. She gained good Mrs. Alderney's heart in that way, who was rather the Queen of British Boulogne and gave the most dinners and balls of all the residents there, by weeping when Master Alderney came from Dr. Swishtail's academy to pass his holidays with his mother. "He and her Rawdon were of the same age, and so like," Becky said in a voice choking with agony; whereas there was five years' difference between the boys' ages, and no more likeness between them than between my respected reader and his humble servant. Wenham, when he was going abroad, on his way to Kissingen to join Lord Steyne, enlightened Mrs. Alderney on this point and told her how he was much more able to describe little Rawdon than his mamma, who notoriously hated him and never saw him; how he was thirteen years old, while little Alderney was but nine, fair, while the other darling was dark--in a word, caused the lady in question to repent of her good humour.
Whenever Becky made a little circle for herself with incredible toils and labour, somebody came and swept it down rudely, and she had all her work to begin over again. It was very hard; very hard; lonely and disheartening.

People were divided about her. Some said that she was the criminal in the matter, while others vowed that she was innocent and that her odious husband was in fault. She won over a good many by bursting into tears about her boy and exhibiting the most frantic grief when his name was mentioned.
She gained good Mrs. Alderney's heart in that way, by weeping when Master Alderney came from school to pass his holidays with his mother.
"He and her Rawdon were the same age, and so alike," Becky said in a voice choking with agony; whereas there was four years' difference between the boys' ages, and no more likeness between them than between you and me. Wenham, who was on his way to Kissingen to join Lord Steyne, enlightened Mrs. Alderney, and told her how young Rawdon's mamma notoriously hated him and never saw him; how he was thirteen and dark, while little Alderney was only nine, and fair - and in a word, caused the lady to repent of her good humour.
Whenever Becky made a little circle for herself with incredible toils, somebody came and swept it down rudely, and she had all her work to begin over again. It was very hard; lonely and disheartening.
