In spite of his mood, natural kindness so far prevailed with Egremont that he bent and touched the child's curls.

Bunce, with set lips, stood watching; he saw that Egremont had not so much as cast an eye round the room, and that, together with the attention to his child, softened his naturally suspicious frame of mind.
'It's better than coming back to an empty room every night ?' Egremont said, looking at the man.
'Yes, sir, it's better--though I don't always think so.' 'These two keep well ?' 'Fairly well.' 'There's never nothing the matter with me!' exclaimed young Jack, bluff though shamefaced.
'Nothing except your grammar, you mean, Jack,' replied his father.
'Will you just sit down, sir?
I was afraid at first there was something wrong, when you mentioned Mrs.Ormonde.' Egremont reassured him, and went on to say that Mrs.Ormonde was anxious to see him personally whilst she was in town.

He felt it would be better not to explain the nature of the proposal Mrs.Ormonde was going to make, and affected to know nothing more than that she wished to speak of the child's health.

Bunce had knitted his brows; his heavy lips took on a fretful sullenness.

He knew that it was impossible to meet Egremont with flat refusals, and the prospect of being driven into something he intensely disliked worked him into an inward fume.