between them. Now and then in the night he would wake to a few tender
thoughts of her, but before the morning they would vanish, and during the
day he would drown any chance reminiscence of her in a careful polishing
and repolishing of his sentences, aping the style of Chalmers or of Robert
Hall, and occasionally inserting some fine-sounding quotation; for apparent
richness of composition was his principal aim, not truth of meaning, or
lucidity of utterance.

I can hardly be presumptuous in adding that, although growing in a certain
popularity with men, he was not thus growing in favour with God. And as he
continued to hear nothing about Isy, the hope at length, bringing with it a
keen shoot of pleasure, awoke in him that he was never to hear of her more.
For the praise of men, and the love of that praise, having now restored him
to his own good graces, he regarded himself with more interest and
approbation than ever; and his continued omission of inquiry after Isy,
heedless of the predicament in which he might have placed her, was a far
worse sin against her, because deliberate, than his primary wrong to her,
and it now recoiled upon him in increased hardness of heart and
self-satisfaction.

Thus in love with himself, and thereby shut out from the salvation of love
to another, he was specially in danger of falling in love with the
admiration of any woman; and thence now occurred a little episode in his
history not insignificant in its results.

He had not been more than a month or two in his parish when he was
attracted by a certain young woman in his congregation of some inborn
refinement and distinction of position, to whom he speedily became anxious
to recommend himself: he must have her approval, and, if possible, her
admiration! Therefore in his preaching, if the word used for the lofty,