"Then your cousin, so far as you are concerned, is free to woo and win her and your uncle's fortune?"
"And I wish him well of his bargain!" I nodded. "As for me, I shall probably continue to live here, and make horseshoes—wifeless and content."
"Is marriage so hateful to you?"
"In the abstract—no; for in my mind there exists a woman whom I think I could love—very greatly; but, in the actual—yes, because there is no woman in all the world that is like this woman of my mind."
"Is she so flawlessly perfect—this imaginary woman?"
"She is one whom I would respect for her intellect."
"Yes."
"Whom I would honor for her proud virtue."
"Yes, Peter."
"Whom I would worship for her broad charity, her gentleness, and spotless purity."