Last words of Thomas Carlyle - Warburg Institute

144 WOTTON REINFREDtoo vigorously worded ? Why should we offend aman so powerful, so friendly to us? Were it notbetter if I excused myself on simply the score ofyouth, and, without peremptory denial, left the matterto die away of itself and Walter to change imperceptiblyby force of time from a lover into a friend ?Eager for conciliation, glad by any means to purchasepeace for the present, I consented; in an unluckyhour the new letter was written and despatched ;andso the evil which I should have fronted when it camepostponed into vague distance, where it gathered freshwrath against me for a future day.'Walter renewed his visits almost as if nothing hadhappened, only glancing once and from afar at theoccurrence, to which he adroitly contrived to give alight turn, so that matters soon settled on their oldfooting, and I blessed myself that the storm wasblown over.Of love for me he had never spoken anddid not now speak, but strove rather with all hisresources, which were nowise inconsiderable, to makeour conversation generally interestingand profitablein particular for my intellectual culture, which hesaw well was the object I had most at heart. By.such means my suspicions were certainly quieted ifnot dispersed; I again began to look on him withsome degree of satisfaction, at least, with thankfulnessfor what he taught me ; nor could I hide frommyself that dubious, nay, repulsive as his inwardnature might appear to me, I had seen few men of