He seemed quite another man whenever he came into her
presence, and whenever the thought of her was in his heart. Indeed, such
was the effect of this passion upon both of them; though this may have
been partially the result of other circumstances, arising from their
particular situation. For a long time they had known few enjoyments that
were not intimately connected with the image of one another; and thus,
from having few objects besides of contemplation or concern, they
refined upon each other. As the minute survey in the forest of the
single leaf, which, for years, may not have attracted the eye, unfolds
the fine veins, the fanciful outline, the clear, green, and transparent
texture, and the delicate shadowings of innumerable hues won from the
skies and the sunshine--so, day by day, surveying the single object,
they had become familiar with attractions in one another which the
passing world would never have supposed either of them to possess. In
such a region, where there are few competitors for human love and
regard, the heart clings with hungering tenacity to the few stray
affections that spring up, here and there, like flowers dropped by some
kindly, careless hand, making a bloom and a blessing for the untrodden
wilderness.
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