Stick to what you have." Curiously, for all her leaning towards Hurstwood, he had not taken a firm hold on her understanding.

She was listening, smiling, approving, and yet not finally agreeing.

This was due to a lack of power on his part, a lack of that majesty of passion that sweeps the mind from its seat, fuses and melts all arguments and theories into a tangled mass, and destroys for the time being the reasoning power.

This majesty of passion is possessed by nearly every man once in his life, but it is usually an attribute of youth and conduces to the first successful mating.
Hurstwood, being an older man, could scarcely be said to retain the fire of youth, though he did possess a passion warm and unreasoning.

It was strong enough to induce the leaning toward him which, on Carrie's part, we have seen.