Discuss some of the specific phrases that reveal Editha's indebtedness to a romantic and sentimental worldview, such as "He was very nearly perfect as he was, and he must be
allowed to perfect himself." (353) and, "I am yours, for time and eternity—time and
eternity. She liked the words; they satisfied her famine for phrases" (359). What other
phrases in the text identify Editha as an unrealistic spectator of the world around her? (A
particularly good passage to look at is Editha's quoting of a pair of lines from Richard
Lovelace's seventeenth-century poem "Lucasta Going to the Wars": "I could not love
thee, dear, so much./ Loved I not honor more” [356].)