He wronged himself in this; yet, in his worldliness and ignorance,
did he feel proud of being above, what he called, the weaknesses of
other men.

It was but natural that Mr. Leslie should become, in a measure,
reserved towards others. Should assume a statelier step, and more
set forms of speech. Should repress, more and more, his heart's
impulses.

In Leslie, the love of money was strong; yet there was in his
character a firmly laid basis of integrity. Though shrewd in his
dealings, he never stooped to a system of overreaching. He was not
long, therefore, in establishing a good reputation among business
men. In social circles, where he occasionally appeared, almost as a
matter of course he became an object of interest.

Observation, as it regards character, is, by far, too superficial.
With most persons, merely what strikes the eye is sufficient ground
for an opinion; and this opinion is freely and positively expressed.
Thus, a good reputation comes, as a natural consequence, to a man
who lives in the practice of most of the apparent social virtues,
while he may possess no real kindness of heart, may be selfish to an
extreme degree.

Thus it was with Mr. Leslie. He was generally regarded as a model of
a man; and when he, at length, approached Madeline Henry as a lover,
the friends of the young lady regarded her as particularly
fortunate.

As for Madeline, she rather shrunk, at first, from his advances.