He had been here and there in the world so much, and dealt with so many people, that the natural frankness of his mind was sharpened into caution.

But any weak and helpless person still could get the best of him; and his shrewdness certainly did not spring from any form of bitterness.

He was rough in his ways sometimes, and could not bear to be contradicted when he was sure that he was right, which generally happened to him.

But above all things he had one very great peculiarity, to my mind highly vexatious, because it seemed so unaccountable.

Sampson Gundry had a very low opinion of feminine intellect.