He put down his fork and looked over at her, watching her carefully. "Ella, I know you have the best of intentions... I never doubted for a minute that your enthusiasm comes from a genuine and kind place... Perhaps you're just stronger than a lot of us. You aren't afraid to confront even the worst of things...and many of us can't say that!" He smiled at her then, a gentle, warm smile.
"I'm quite a bit older than 25 Ella and not at all naive and I agree that the things under the surface are what matters. Just be prepared to go gently with some us Ella... I doubt that any one could resist your curiosity for too long!"