Another Side of Bruce Ever since his earliest youth, Bruce had always had, at intervals, some vague, vain, half-hearted entanglement with a woman.

The slightest interest, practically even common civility, shown him by anyone of the feminine sex between the ages of sixteen and sixty, flattered his vanity to such an extraordinary extent that he immediately thought these ladies were in love with him, and it didn't take much more for him to be in love with them.

And yet he didn't really care for women.
With regard to them his point of view was entirely that of vanity, and in fact he only liked both men or women who made up to him, or who gave him the impression that they did.

Edith was really the only woman for whom his weak and flickering passion had lingered at all long; and in addition to that (the first glamour of which had faded) she had a real hold over him.

He felt for her the most genuine fondness of which he was capable, besides trust and a certain admiration.