Elegantly worded, but winding and hard to follow for a modern reader. Frustrating and wordy in place of clarity.

Don’t forget John Gray’s wrestle with the panther. Very important plot point.

This is the story of John Gray, an idealistic schoolmaster who falls in love with a beautiful but shallow flirt. The young girl lives with her aunt, and Gray comes to admire the aunt who has moved to Kentucky with her husband. She eventually falls in love with him but does not reveal her feelings because of her husband. When the husband dies, she writes a long letter to Gray pouring out her heart to him, only to discover that he is now married. I think there must be a moral somewhere.