Both of us probably are so far beneath her
ideals of womanhood and manhood that she can never be friendly to
one and is fast losing her interest in the other. She has already
virtually said, 'Our relations are accidental, and if you marry Stella
Wildmere you need not hope that I shall accept her with open arms as
inseparable from one of my best friends.' 'Best friend,' indeed! Even
that amount of regard was a lingering sentiment of the past. Now that
we have met again she realizes that we have grown to be comparative
strangers, and that our tastes and interests lie apart."
Thus day after day he had some new and perturbed theory as to
Madge, in which pique, infused with cynical philosophy and utter
misapprehension, led to widely varying conclusions. Ardent and
impatient lover of another woman as he was, one thing remained
true--he could neither forget nor placidly ignore the girl who had
ceased to be his sister, and who yet was not very successful in
playing the part of a young lady friend.
When the dancing began, the storm was approaching its culmination.
More vivid than the light from the chandeliers, the electric flashes
dazzled startled eyes with increasing frequency. Miss Wildmere at
first tried to show cool indifference in the spirit of bravado, and
maintained her place upon the floor with Mr.
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