It was something of a relief to finally see a smile grace the young lady’s face, and he returned it encouragingly. But then… oh, this was almost farcical; every time he reached out for positivity, the poor girl could only come back with a sigh and a sad response. But no, this was not literally farcical; this was someone’s life. It was not as if Miss Galloway was wallowing in the gutter begging for scraps, but her lot in life seemed so miserable compared to his.

”Well that’s… that’s quite fair enough”, he stammered quietly as she suggested it’d be best to focus on midwifery. ”I imagine midwives are treasured greatly by many families.”