...it does not seem, at present, to diminish the mutual affection and respect that Anne and Lady Russell have for each other.

Whereas, Sir Walter and Elizabeth will probably never get out of the past, I'm encouraged by Lady Russell's example to willingly carry Anne in her carriage to visit with a "lowly" connection: Mrs. Smith. Several years earlier, would Lady Russell have consented to this same act? I don't know but I tentatively doubt it.

Who is influencing whom to beneficial change here? I think it is now Anne's open-minded maturity that is working powerfully on Lady Russell, rather than the reverse of what it was when Anne was an impressionable 19.