Hilary saw her taking off her boot, and by a sudden impulse he placed himself between her and the lady.

In doing this, he so far forgot his delicacy as to fix his eyes on the little model's foot.

The sense of physical discomfort which first attacked him became a sort of aching in his heart.

That brown, dingy stocking was darned till no stocking, only darning, and one toe and two little white bits of foot were seen, where the threads refused to hold together any longer.
The little model wagged the toe uneasily--she had hoped, no doubt, that it would not protrude, then concealed it with her skirt.

Hilary moved hastily away; when he looked again, it was not at her, but at the lady.
Her face had changed; it was no longer amused and negligent, but stamped with an expression of offence.