With all my heart," he said, absently taking off his spectacles,
polishing, and replacing them. Then he resumed his former line of
thought. "Tom Robinson is out of the mess. He, and his father before
him, found other ways of disposing of their capital where it was more
under their own inspection and control. If that foolish girl of ours,
Maria, could only have brought herself to listen to Robinson," he worked
himself up into a fresh access of vexation, "the liking would have come
in good time. I did not expect her to have a fancy for him on the spot,
for quiet, steady young fellows like him are not apt to take girls'
fancies--the worse for the girls."

"But, father"--remonstrated Mrs. Millar, involuntarily bestowing on her
husband the title the girls gave him--she drew herself up as she spoke,
and again destroyed the equilibrium of her cap--"you cannot surely think
that Tom Robinson would have been a fit match for Dora, or any of her
sisters. He is well enough in himself, I say nothing against him, but he
has not gone into a profession, instead he has identified himself with
'Robinson's'--that shop;" a shade of ineffable disgust stole into her
ordinarily good-humoured voice.

"Showed his good sense and manliness," said the Doctor gruffly. "I wish
every one else had been as wise. I wish all of us had big paying shops
at our backs instead of Carey's shaky bank. I for one would swallow the
indignity cheerfully. Why, my father kept on his dispensary in the days
when the practice was at its best. The greater fool I to give it up. I
tell you England will never be what it was till it gets rid of this
rubbish of despising trades and shops. Don't you help to put it into
these silly girls' heads. It makes me sick to think how they may live to
wish they were connected with an honest, solvent shop."

"My dear, I think you are going a little too far." Mrs. Millar fired up
in defence of her young like a ruffled mother-pigeon. "I should be very
sorry to teach the girls to look down on anybody; but that there are
different sorts and conditions of men, they may learn from their very
Bibles and prayer-books. There are such things as education and
culture--not to speak of good birth. You yourself, Dr. Millar, are
fairly well born and well connected for a professional man." She
instanced this with an imperceptible bridle and toss of her matronly
head, which hinted broadly, "If it had not been so, Jonathan, I should
never have been Mrs. M