He had yielded to his feelings without any special thought of results to himself, because he had felt so certain that Rachel would respond to his love.

He tried to recall the impression she made on him when he first spoke to her.
Never had her beauty and her strength influenced him as tonight.
While she was singing he saw and heard no one else.

The tent swarmed with a confused crowd of faces and he knew he was sitting there hemmed in by a mob of people, but they had no meaning to him.

He felt powerless to avoid speaking to her.

He knew he should speak when they were alone.
Now that he had spoken, he felt that he had misjudged either Rachel or the opportunity.