Their wisdom,
ever on the alert, is equal to the intuition of a mother; they
remember the delicate perceptions which in their own mother were
divinations, and import them into the exercise of a compassion which
is carried to an extreme in their minds by a sense of the child's
unutterable weakness. The slowness of their movements takes the place
of maternal gentleness. In them, as in children, life is reduced to
its simplest expression; if maternal sentiment makes the mother a
slave, the abandonment of self allows an old man to devote himself
utterly. For these reasons it is not unusual to see children in close
intimacy with old persons. The old soldier, the old abbe, the old
doctor, happy in the kisses and cajoleries of little Ursula, were
never weary of answering her talk and playing with her. Far from
making them impatient her petulances charmed them; and they gratified
all her wishes, making each the ground of some little training.
The child grew up surrounded by old men, who smiled at her and made
themselves mothers for her sake, all three equally attentive and
provident. Thanks to this wise education, Ursula's soul developed in a
sphere that suited it.
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