It had been a habit of his mind to disregard to-morrow.

It was engendered partly by an existence of excitement, adventure, and wild warfare.

But mostly it was a matter of principle.

It did not resemble the carelessness of a condottiere, it was a puritanism of conduct, born of stern enthusiasm like the puritanism of religion.
This stern devotion to a cause had cast a gloom upon Giorgio's old age.

It cast a gloom because the cause seemed lost.