His Other Wife: A Novel — page 121: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

GORDON WARREN'S PUPIL. 113 made him a slave to so gross’ an infatuation for a woman false to her own soul, — As much to prove to her his entire emancipation from her influence, as for any other reason, he frequented Lucerne, not dreaming that he incurred the risk of occu- pying the position of suitor to Mr. Croft’s young ward; still less that Leda cherished such shameful designs upon him, which his presence near her only nourished. To him, Faith was so much a child, so frank, so natural, that any sentimental relations with her never entered his thoughts. Her soul, limpid as a summer brook, showed him no spots through which the glad sunlight of perfect inno- cence did not penetrate. Besides, there were several other men, younger and gayer, more suited to a girl’s fancy in every way, who were aspirants to Faith’s favor, and whose attentions seemed to please her more than his own. Her sweet, child-like ways interested him, without doubt; but her joyous, heedless, sunny nature was too far apart from the sober calm of his own, for that intense sympathy that must form the ground-work of love. He would as soon have thought himself in love with a bird, or a flower, or a child, as with sweet little Faith Hilary. As Warren passed out from the drawing-room into the hall, Faith met him at the foot of the stairway, all closely wrapped for the excursion on the water. ‘¢ Are you sure this flimsy white thing round your head and throat is warm enough?’ asked Warren, taking up an Comicbooks: (E(@) 3