Why, all his days for the last few months had been
full of the love of her.
How else had he been so happy? how else did it come about that
little by little he was withdrawing from the society and influence
of his artificial world, as represented by such men as Sargeant?
how else was he slowly loosening the grip of the one evil and
vicious habit that had clutched him so long? how else was his
ambition stirring? how else was his hitherto aimless enthusiasm
hardening to energy and determination? She had not always so
influenced him. In the days when they had just known each other,
and met each other in the weekly course of their formal life, it
had not been so, even though they pretended a certain amount of
affection. He remembered the evening when Blix had brought those
days to an abrupt end, and how at the moment he had told himself
that after all he had never known the real Blix. Since then, in
the charming, unconventional life they had led, everything had
been changed. He had come to know her for what she was, to know
her genuine goodness, her sincerity, her contempt of affectations,
her comradeship, her calm, fine strength and unbroken good nature;
and day by day, here a little and there a little, his love for her
had grown so quietly, so evenly, that he had never known it, until
now, behold! it was suddenly come to flower, full and strong--a
flower whose fragrance had suddenly filled all his life and all
his world with its sweetness.
Pages:
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154