She had his companionship no longer; I esteemed it a duty to supply its lack, as much as possible, with mine: an inefficient substitute; for I could only spare two or three hours, from my numerous diurnal occupations, to follow her footsteps, and then my society was obviously less desirable than his.

I kept her company as much as possible, although I could only spare two or three hours a day, and my society was less desirable to her than her father's.
