George was an outsider, but this hideous old man, with his curious repelling suggestion of over-ripeness, as of fruit that is beginning to rot at the core, was the dominant personality in her mind at the moment.

She wondered if he knew how repulsive he was, and while she wondered, the judge, unaware of his tragic plight, went on eating lobster with unimpaired relish.

His importance, founded upon a more substantial basis than mere personal attraction, had risen superior not only to morality, but to the outward failings of the flesh.

Had he been twice as repulsive, she realized that his millions would have commanded a respect denied to both beauty and virtue.
"I wonder how any woman can stand him," mused Gabriella.

Then, glancing across the table at Mrs.Crowborough, she realized something of the amazing insensibility of the more ethereal sex.