Then they had begun without him! Why?
They were never wont to be so punctual.

He was nettled and put out, for he was somewhat thin-skinned.

As he went in Roland said to him: "Come, Pierre, make haste, devil take you! You know we have to be at the lawyer's at two o'clock.

This is not the day to be dawdling." Pierre sat down without replying, after kissing his mother and shaking hands with his father and brother; and he helped himself from the deep dish in the middle of the table to the cutlet which had been kept for him.

It was cold and dry, probably the least tempting of them all.