He would have felt that he
could dominate a baser affection and force it down to his will, by
sheer strength of purpose, no matter at what cost; but he was met here
by something he had never understood, and he did not know what to do.
The childlike innocence of Hilda's maiden love gave an extraordinary
character to her passion. The absence of anything like the common
expressions of love made the transcendent power of what moved her stand
out in magnificent grandeur. Never in his life had he dreamt that her
quiet and undemonstrative affection was capable of anything but a calm
and beautiful development. He had not guessed the existence of such
resistless force as blazed from her eyes, he had believed her only
capable of receiving, he had not imagined that she was strong enough to
take boldly what was refused her. The radiance of a spotless soul,
burning in the white-heat of a passion as pure as itself, dazzled and
awed him. As he looked, he felt as though he were held in the grasp of
a splendid, wrathful angel, who disputed the possession of him, not
with himself, but with the opposing powers of evil.
It is amazing that in such a case he should still have found strength
and courage to resist this last great trial of his sincerity. Most men
would have yielded and would have accepted their fate. But though Greif
was young, and not very wise, he had stern and obstinate blood in his
veins, and he was acting under the strongest conviction that had ever
possessed him.
Pages:
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344