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The mysterious, enchanting Kitty herself could not love such an

ugly person as he conceived himself to be, and, above all, such

an ordinary, in no way striking person. Moreover, his attitude to

Kitty in the past-the attitude of a grown-up person to a child,

arising from his friendship with her brother-seemed to him yet

another obstacle to love. An ugly, good-natured man, as he

considered himself, might, he supposed, be liked as a friend; but

to be loved with such a love as that with which he loved Kitty,

one would need to be a handsome and, still more, a distinguished

man.

He had heard that women often did care for ugly and ordinary men,

but he did not believe it, for he judged by himself, and he could

not himself have loved any but beautiful, mysterious, and

exceptional women.