Do you judge of heroes as of lesser men?
Her reckless defence of him, half spoken, half in her mind, helped her to comprehend his dealings with her, and how it was that he stormed her and consented to be beaten.

He had a thousand occupations, an ambition out of the world of love, chains to break, temptations, leanings...

tut, tut! She had not lived in her circle of society, and listened to the tales of his friends and enemies, and been the correspondent of flattering and flattered men of learning, without understanding how a man like Alvan found diversions when forbidden to act in a given direction: and now that her healthful new blood inspired the courage to turn two wishes to a will, she saw both herself and him very clearly, enough at least to pardon the man more than she did herself.

She had perforce of her radiant new healthfulness arrived at an exact understanding of him.

Where she was deluded was in supposing that she would no longer dread his impetuous disposition to turn rosy visions into facts.