But to call on Miss Catherine Dumfarthing seemed to him such an altogether delightful and unspeakably blissful process that he hardly knew how to approach the topic.

So when Juliana presently came home the rector could find no better way of introducing the subject than by putting it on the ground of Philippa's marriage to Miss Dumfarthing's father's trustee's nephew.
"Juliana," he said, "don't you think that perhaps, on account of Philippa and Tom, you ought--or at least it might be best for you to call on Miss Dumfarthing ?" Juliana turned to her brother as he laid aside her bonnet and her black gloves.
"I've just been there this afternoon," she said.
There was something as near to a blush on her face as her brother had ever seen.
"But she was not there!" he said.
"No," answered Juliana, "but Mr.Dumfarthing was.

I stayed and talked some time with him, waiting for her." The rector gave a sort of whistle, or rather that blowing out of air which is the episcopal symbol for it.
"Didn't you find him pretty solemn ?" he said.
"Solemn!" answered his sister.

"Surely, Edward, a man in such a calling as his ought to be solemn." "I don't mean that exactly," said the rector; "I mean--er--hard, bitter, so to speak." "Edward!" exclaimed Juliana, "how can you speak so.

Mr.Dumfarthing hard! Mr.Dumfarthing bitter! Why, Edward, the man is gentleness and kindness itself.