At the same time, being in the grasp of his present disappointment, he perceived a meanness in the result, that was astonishing and afflicting.

He had not ever previously felt imagination starving at the vision of success.

Victor had yet to learn, that the man with a material object in aim, is the man of his object; and the nearer to his mark, often the farther is he from a sober self; he is more the arrow of his bow than bow to his arrow.

This we pay for scheming: and success is costly; we find we have pledged the better half of ourselves to clutch it; not to be redeemed with the whole handful of our prize! He was, however, learning after his leaping fashion.

Nataly's defective sympathy made him look at things through the feelings she depressed.