He was not an ambitious man, but--perhaps because he was not
only a man of thought, but a Vanderpoel of the blood of the first
Reuben--these were things he did not contemplate without restlessness.
When Rosy had gone away and seemed lost to them, he had been glad when
he had seen Betty growing, day by day, into a strong thing. Feminine
though she was, she sometimes suggested to him the son who might have
been his, but was not. As the closeness of their companionship increased
with her years, his admiration for her grew with his love. Power left in
her hands must work for the advancement of things, and would not be idly
disseminated--if no antagonistic influence wrought against her. He had
found himself reflecting that, after all was said, the marriage of such
a girl had a sort of parallel in that of some young royal creature,
whose union might make or mar things, which must be considered. The man
who must inevitably strongly colour her whole being, and vitally mark
her life, would, in a sense, lay his hand upon the lever also. If he
brought sorrow and disorder with him, the lever would not move steadily.
Fortunes such as his grow rapidly, and he was a richer man by millions
than he had been when Rosalie had married Nigel Anstruthers.
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