Now of a sudden came friends and flattery, ay, and love itself.

He was rapt to the seventh heaven.
Indeed, it seemed that the girl loved him.

She knew that he had but a hundred pounds or so left over from that little inheritance, that his books sold for a trifle, that he had no wealthy relatives from whom he could expect anything; yet she hesitated not a moment when he asked her to marry him.
'I have loved you from the first.' 'How is that possible ?' he urged.

'What is there lovable in me?
I am afraid of waking up and finding myself in my old garret, cold and hungry.' 'You will be a great man.' 'I implore you not to count on that! In many ways I am wretchedly weak.
I have no such confidence in myself.' 'Then I will have confidence for both.' 'But can you love me for my own sake--love me as a man ?' 'I love you!' And the words sang about him, filled the air with a mad pulsing of intolerable joy, made him desire to fling himself in passionate humility at her feet, to weep hot tears, to cry to her in insane worship.

He thought her beautiful beyond anything his heart had imagined; her warm gold hair was the rapture of his eyes and of his reverent hand.