A few evenings back, I treated myself to some 1897 episodes. Among them was the notorious scene of Minerva visiting Collinwood, jar of damson plum preserves in hand. I must say, Clarice Blackburn took my breath away in that scene. She was so incredibly nuanced and wonderful a performer. After Mrs J, Minerva is my favorite CB role. Even though she has fewer scenes than did Abigail in 1795, I think Minerva's jealousy makes her more interesting psychologically and allows CB to show more of her range.
One of my regrets about the later years of DS is that they never gave Mrs J another storyline comparable to what she had during the Bill Malloy period. Clarice is one of my personal favorite actresses on the show, and she's definitely getting a vote in the prenoms for the Emmies from me.
G.