n
perpetuated in Miss Franklin's case by the good feeling and good
breeding which would keep her from discussing Tom Robinson's affairs
with her neighbours more than she could help, and would prevent her
attempting such a cross-examination of the man himself as might have
elicited the truth.

"Oh! I know now what you mean," cried Dora, on the impulse of the
moment, "and you were altogether wrong. He has been spared such misery
--nobody could have been so barbarous as to inflict it on him, if it had
been as you suppose."

Miss Franklin was sensitive and imaginative on dress, but she was not
imaginative or even very observant with regard to anything else. She
understood Dora's protest to refer to an actual engagement between Dr.
Harry Ironside and Miss Millar.

"Well, well," she said a little dryly, "people do exaggerate. Matters
may not have gone quite so far, and I can only trust that he, Tom, has
not been sensible of what is in the air, though I have always understood
love, while it is said to be blind in one sense, is very sharp-sighted
in another. I believe every one else sees where the land lies. I saw it
myself so far as the gentleman was concerned--he could not keep his eyes
off her, though I was not five minutes in their company, and I was full
of my poor cousin Tom. I am sure I hope they may be happy," gulping down
the hope. "Tom would have wished it, quite apart from her having done
her duty by him, at the cost of some pain to herself, no doubt; while
Dr. Ironside has been more than kind, which nobody had any call to
expect. He must be a very fine young man, likely to win what he fancies.
Every woman is entitled to her choice, and most people would applaud
your sister's choice. The thing that puzzles me--you will forgive me for
mentioning it just this once, for where is the good of discussion
now?--is that as, I have been told, she did not meet Dr. Ironside till
she went to her London hospital, how, when she had got no opportunity of
contrasting the two men, when she had not even seen one of them, she
could yet be so set against Tom's proposal, knowing him to be the man he
is--was, alas! I should say. Why was she so very hard to poor Tom?"

"Oh, don't say that," besought Dora, in much agitation. "Don't bring
that forward at this moment."

But Miss Franklin, in the strength of her family affections, felt that
she owed it to the manes of Tom Robinson to express to the disdainful
damsel's sister a candid opi