In January of 1869, Dinah adopted an abanded baby girl named Dorothy. The baby was found behind a stack of bricks in the London suburb of Bromley. 18 years later, she published The Half-Caste where the main character took a motherly position over an orphaned girl named Zillah. It appears this disposition of care has been a part of Dinah's character all along.

https://omekas.library.uvic.ca/s/crafting/item/5840