Sentence:  Captain Edward Carlisle...felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze,nb...; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so <WSD>superb</WSD> a woman as this under handicap so hard. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  First-rate; of the highest quality; exceptionally good.