Meaning of "Scarce"?

Question

I'm reading Time Machine by H. G. Wells.And there is a sentence:"At first I scarce thought of stopping, scarce thought of anything but these new sensations".What does "scarce" mean in this context? Usually "scarce" means "not very much of something", but in this case .. it is like "to be scared of". Is that mistake or.. maybe it is "scarce usage of this word"?

Answer 1

In this case, "scarce" is closer to "hardly" or "barely" than anything else. It suggests that the Time Traveler isn't thinking about stopping and is only thinking of "these new sensations" and not anything else.

It's being used as an adverb, so a modern writer might add an -ly ending ("scarcely"), but Wells' usage reflects the particular time and place he was writing.