She got on very fairly in spite of it, however; and her devotion to Godfrey, as she felt herself growing in his sight, increased almost to a passion.

Do not misunderstand me, my reader.

If I say anything grows to a passion, I mean, of course, the passion of that thing, not of something else.

Here I no more mean that her devotion became what in novels is commonly called love, than, if I said ambition or avarice had grown to a passion, I should mean those vices had changed to love.

Godfrey Wardour was at least ten years older than Letty; besides him, she had not a single male relative in this world--neither had she mother or sister on whom to let out her heart; while of Mrs.Wardour, who was more severe on her than on any one else, she was not a little afraid: from these causes it came that Cousin Godfrey grew and grew in Letty's imagination, until he was to her everything great and good--her idea of him naturally growing as she grew herself under his influences.