“For you women,” said Tom, “you women, my dear, are so kind, and in your kindness have such nice perception; you know so well, how to be affectionate and full of solicitude without appearing to be; your gentleness of feeling is like your touch: so light and easy, that the one enables you to deal with wounds of the mind as tenderly as the other enables you to deal with wounds of the body. You are such—” ‘My goodness, Tom!” his sister interposed. “You ought to fall in love immediately.” Tom put this observation off good-humouredly, but somewhat gravely too;
