Burned Bridges

But he doubted both his fitness and his inclination now. He said to

himself that when a man loses heart in his work he should abandon that

work. He tried to muster up a resentful feeling against Sophie Carr for

the emotional havoc she had wrought, and the best he could do was a

despairing pang of loneliness. He wanted her. Above all he wanted her.

And she was a rank infidel--a crass materialist--an intellectual Circe.

Why, in the name of God, he asked himself passionately, must he lose

his heart so fully to a woman with whom he could have nothing more in

common save the common factor that she was a woman and he a man.

Mr. Thompson had not as yet discovered what a highly important factor

that last was.

He managed to get a partial insight into that some three days later, and

the vision was vouchsafed him in a simple and natural manner, although

to him at the time it seemed the most wonderful and unaccountable thing

in the world.