"Christopher was looking at his most pardish, beautiful and slim and young …"

I came across this word today in Iris Murdoch's 'A word child'. Shorter Oxford has 'parded' [spotted as a panther, leopard] and 'pard'[a partner, a mate - slang, chiefly US, mid-19th century].

Neither is exactly appropriate in the context -- anyone else come across this word before? Unfortunately, we can no longer ask the author (whose novels I am currently reading and enjoying).