The golden braid, which Lydia had not troubled to undo, lay under her cheek.
Lydia held counsel with herself.

Something had happened, something worse, she thought, than a mere fit of wretchedness in the suffering heart.

There was no explaining the disordered state in which the girl had come back.
Gilbert said that he had met Mr.Egremont at the end of Newport Street.
Was it conceivable that Thyrza had had an appointment with Egremont at Totty's house?
No; that was not to be credited, for many reasons.
Totty--by Luke's account--was angry with Thyrza, and refused to hear anything of what was going on.

Yet it was very strange that he should be going to see Mr.Bunce just at the same time that Thyrza was there, and in Totty's absence too.
What to think of Mr.Egremont?
There was the central question.

She knew him scarcely at all; had only seen him on that one occasion when she opened the house-door to him, There was Gilbert's constant praise of him, but Lydia knew enough of the world to understand that Gilbert might very easily err in his judgment of a young man in Egremont's position.