Sentence:  A Tale of Two Cities"] and his other novels may seem to lie in the all but entire absence from it of any humour or attempt at humour; for neither the brutalities of that “honest tradesman” Jerry, nor the <WSD>laconisms</WSD> of Miss Pross, can well be called by that name. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A very or notably brief expression.