Belinda (book)
Lady Delacour is a bel esprit (woman of wit), who Belinda at first thinks “the most agreeable—no, that is too feeble an expression—the most fascinating person she had ever beheld (known).” Later, however, after Belinda hears about her sad life, she feels sorry for her. Belinda is very kind to Lady Delacour, who begins to like her. Through Belinda's gentleness, Lady Delacour begins to change. She becomes more caring for her husband and daughter Helena. However, Lady Delacour's sudden untrue jealousy towards Belinda and makes her move to the Percivals' house, where Helena is staying at. Later, Lady Delacour finds out that she was completely wrong and had misunderstood Belinda's good intentions. She becomes very ill, and begs for Belinda to forgiver her and come back. Belinda, accepting her apology, comes, and now Lady Delacour does everything Belinda advises her to do, and makes up with her husband, revealing to him how she is ill, that she had been hiding from everybody except herself and Belinda and her maid. Lord Delacour feels worried for her when he hears this. She takes a surgery, and is told that she is actually not ill at all. The bad doctor she had been going to had given her the wrong medicines, and therefore made her sick. Joyfully, she decides to be a good wife, a sweet friend, and a kind mother. She ends the book by saying, while laughing, “Now, Lady Delacour, to show that she is reformed, comes forward to address the audience with a moral—a moral!—yes,