D&S, Chp. 32-34

[Tristram]

Francis,

I want to stay clear of throwing in any spoilers, but here are the things we already know:

Mrs. Brown is the woman who kidnapped Florence when the latter was a child and who took all her costly clothes and her shoes from her. She wanted to cut Florence's ample hair as well but the hair reminded her of her long-lost daughter, and so she thought better of it. Mrs. Brown also seems to have tailed the Dombeys from that moment on, although I don't really know why. She also offered to tell Edith her fortune, and she and her daughter later revelled at the knowledge of the impending wedding of Dombey and Edith. They apparently knew that no good would come of that union, and that gave them pleasure. I don't know why, however.

Alice, her daughter, was a mistress of Carker, and from that position, and because of her mother's influence, she slipped into prostitution. She got transported because of a minor crime and now is back in London. She bears malice to all the Carkers, even to John and Harriet, and she is as proud and disdainful as Edith.

Mrs. Brown and Alice are mirror-images of Mrs. Skewton and Edith with regard to their relationship and to the daughter's difficult tempers - but they are, of course, on different social levels.

[Francis]

Tristram wrote: "Francis,

I want to stay clear of throwing in any spoilers, but here are the things we already know:

Mrs. Brown is the woman who kidnapped Florence when the latter was a child and who took all he..."

Thanks Tristam very helpful