There might be some who said, or thought, that she made a virtue of necessity.
Everard Barfoot's advances surprised her not a little.

Judging him as a man wholly without principle, she supposed at first that this was merely his way with all women, and resented it as impertinence.

But even then she did not dislike the show of homage; what her mind regarded with disdain, her heart was all but willing to feed upon, after its long hunger.

Barfoot interested her, and not the less because of his evil reputation.

Here was one of the men for whom women--doubtless more than one--had sacrificed themselves; she could not but regard him with sexual curiosity.