Sentence:  Earlston must have remembered once dining in the Manse of Maxton at a Communion time; for, as his <WSD>tender-handed</WSD> wife took her place beside his chair to feed her helpless husband, he always lifted up his palsied hand and always said to himself, to her, and above all, to God, the 131st Psalm. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Gentle; Having a light touch and compassionate actions.