And in undiminished gladness she rose the next day. As she entered her uncle's breakfast-room, and with soft cheerfulness wished him good-morning, even that little man of bronze himself thought, for an instant, his niece was growing "a fine girl." Generally she was quiet and timid with him--very docile, but not communicative; this morning, however, she found many things to say. Slight topics alone might be discussed between them; for with a woman--a girl--Mr. Helstone would touch on no other. She had taken an early walk in the garden, and she told him what flowers were beginning to spring there; she inquired when the gardener was to come and trim the borders; she informed him that certain starlings were beginning to build their nests in the church-tower (Briarfield church was close to Briarfield rectory); she wondered the tolling of the bells in the belfry did not scare them.
Mr. Helstone opined that "they were like other fools who had just paired--insensible to inconvenience just for the moment." Caroline, made perhaps a little too courageous by her temporary good spirits, here hazarded a remark of a kind she had never before ventured to make on observations dropped by her revered relative.
"Uncle," said she, "whenever you speak of marriage you speak of it scornfully. Do you think people shouldn't marry?"
"It is decidedly the wisest plan to remain single, especially for women."

And in undiminished gladness she rose the next day. As she entered her uncle's breakfast-room, and with soft cheerfulness wished him good-morning, even that little man of bronze thought, for an instant, that his niece was growing "a fine girl." Generally she was quiet and timid with him, but this morning she found many things to say. Only slight topics might be discussed; for with a woman Mr. Helstone would touch on no other. She had taken an early walk in the garden, and she told him what flowers were beginning to spring there; she inquired when the gardener was to trim the borders; she informed him that starlings were beginning to build their nests in the nearby church-tower, and she wondered that the tolling of the church bells did not scare them.
Mr. Helstone opined that "they were like other fools who had just paired - insensible." Caroline, made perhaps a little too courageous by her good spirits, here hazarded a remark of a kind she had never before ventured to make.
"Uncle," said she, "you always speak of marriage scornfully. Do you think people shouldn't marry?"
"It is decidedly the wisest plan to remain single."
