quaintness; his strong conservatism in religion, politics, and morals.
Mrs. Hamley tried sometimes to apologize for, or to soften away,
opinions which she fancied were offensive to the doctor, or
contradictions which she thought too abrupt; but at such times her
husband would lay his great hand almost caressingly on Mr. Gibson's
shoulder, and soothe his wife's anxiety, by saying, 'Let us alone,
little woman. We understand each other, don't we, doctor? Why, bless
your life, he gives me better than he gets many a time; only, you see,
he sugars it over, and says a sharp thing, and pretends it's all
civility and humility; but I can tell when he's giving me a pill.'

One of Mrs. Hamley's often-expressed wishes had been, that Molly might
come and pay her a visit. Mr. Gibson always refused this request of
hers, though he could hardly have given his reasons for these refusals.
He did not want to lose the companionship of his child, in fact; but he
put it to himself in quite a different way. He thought her lessons and
her regular course of employment would be interrupted. The life in Mrs.
Hamley's heated and scented room would not be good for the girl;
Osborne and Roger Hamley would be at home, and he did not wish Molly to
be thrown too exclusively upon them for young society; or they would
not be at home, and it would be rather dull and depressing for his girl
to be all the day long with a nervous invalid.

But at length the day came when Mr. Gibson rode over, and volunteered a
visit from Molly; an offer which Mrs. Hamley received with the 'open
arms of her heart,' as she expressed it; and of which the duration was
unspecified. And the cause for this change in Mr Gibson's wishes was as
follows:--It has been mentioned that he took pupils, rather against his
inclination, it is true; but there they were, a Mr. Wynne and Mr. Coxe,
'the young gentlemen,' as they were called in the household; 'Mr.