Never was his blood so calm as in her presence. She was to
him a spirit, and in the spirit he loved her. With Maud he might
look forward to union at some distant day, a union outwardly of the
conventional kind. It would be so, not on account of any inferiority
to his ideal in Maud, for he felt that there was no height of his
own thought whither she would not in time follow him; but simply
because no point of principle would demand a refusal of the yoke of
respectability, with its attendant social advantages. And the
thought of thus binding himself to Maud had nothing repulsive, for
the links between them were not of the kind which easily yield, and
loyalty to a higher and nobler nature may well be deemed a duty.
So far logical arguing. But the fact remained that he had not the
least intention of breaking off his intercourse with Ida, despite
the certainty that passion would grow upon him with each of their
meetings, rendering their mutual relations more and more dangerous.
Of only one thing could he be sure: marriage was not to be thought
of. It remained, then, that he was in danger of being led into
conduct which would be the source of grievous unrest to himself, and
for Ida would lay the foundation of much suffering.
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