He would begin at once, to-morrow.

It was not by mere achievement that he could hope to win to her.

He must make a personal reform in all things, even to tooth-washing and neck-gear, though a starched collar affected him as a renunciation of freedom.
He held up his hand, rubbing the ball of the thumb over the calloused palm and gazing at the dirt that was ingrained in the flesh itself and which no brush could scrub away.

How different was her palm! He thrilled deliciously at the remembrance.

Like a rose-petal, he thought; cool and soft as a snowflake.