至于梅雷迪斯先生，”科妮莉亚小姐说，“即使订婚了，他也变得完全不同了。相信我，他还没有那么爱做梦、心不在焉。当我听说他决定在他度蜜月期间关闭宅邸并让孩子们参观时，我感到非常欣慰。如果他把他们和老玛莎阿姨独自留在那里一个月，我就会预料到每天早上醒来都会看到这个地方被烧毁。
(As for Mr. Meredith," said Miss Cornelia, "even his engagement has made a different man of him. He isn't half so dreamy and absent-minded, believe me. I was so relieved when I heard that he had decided to close the manse and let the children visit round while he was away on his honeymoon. If he had left them and old Aunt Martha there alone for a month I should have expected to wake every morning and see the place burned down.)
科妮莉亚小姐回顾了梅雷迪思先生订婚以来的转变。她指出，他变得更加警觉和专注，摆脱了以前多梦和心不在焉的性格。这一变化让她松了一口气，尤其是他决定关闭宅邸并允许孩子们在蜜月期间去其他地方参观。她对让孩子们和玛莎阿姨单独呆一个月表示强烈担忧，担心这段时间宅邸可能发生意外或灾难。
这种担忧凸显了科妮莉亚小姐的保护本能以及她对照顾儿童所面临的挑战的理解。她的言论表明，她不太相信没有梅雷迪思先生的指导，家庭会管理得很好，这表明她相信梅雷迪思先生的参与对他的责任产生了积极的影响。总的来说，她的评论既体现了她对孩子们福利的奉献，也体现了她对梅雷迪思先生准备好担任丈夫新角色的看法。
