Fan Casting Bessy Higgins in North and South ☆☆☆

Bessy is Nicholas Higgins’ sickly daughter, whom Margaret meets in the streets of Milton and befriends. Like Margaret, she is 19, but the contrast between their circumstances couldn’t be greater. Bessy is dying of consumption (or perhaps byssinosis), which she has developed after years of work in the cotton mills. She persisted in working despite her poor health out of a desire to be strong and to provide for her family, showing her generous nature. She clings to faith in the Bible, especially the Book of Revelation, and looks forward to life after death to sustain her in her suffering. She develops a deep affection for Margaret. She dies of her illness halfway through the novel.