Within ten minutes he had read much more than had greeted his eye.

A wave of pity went over him--pity for the patient, the girl, and his friend.

The poor old imbecile! Why, this child was a firebrand, a wrecker, if ever he had seen one; and the worst kind because she was unconscious of her gifts.
As for the patient, his decision was immediate.

Here was no crooked soul; a little weak perhaps, impulsive beyond common, but fundamentally honest.

Given time and the right environment, and he would outgrow these defects.