This unnatural caprice seemed to be
supported by a consideration which, one would imagine, might have
rather vanquished her disgust. Her second son Gam, who was now in
the fourth year of his age, had been rickety from the cradle, and
as remarkably unpromising in appearance as Perry was agreeable in
his person. As the deformity increased, the mother's fondness was
augmented, and the virulence of her hate against the other son
seemed to prevail in the same proportion.
Far from allowing Perry to enjoy the common privileges of a child,
she would not suffer him to approach his father's house, expressed
uneasiness whenever his name happened to be mentioned, sickened
at his praise, and in all respects behaved like a most rancorous
step-mother. Though she no longer retained that ridiculous notion
of his being an impostor, she still continued to abhor him, as if
she really believed him to be such; and when any person desired
to know the cause of her surprising dislike, she always lost her
temper, and peevishly replied, that she had reasons of her own,
which she was not obliged to declare: nay, so much was she infected
by this vicious partiality, that she broke off all commerce with
her sister-in-law and the commodore, because they favoured the poor
child with their countenance and protection.
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