What might this mean?
Was it merely an urbane way of reminding him that he had neglected certain civilities demanded by the social code?
Dalmaine would doubtless be punctilious; he was a rising politician.

Yet the insult was too pronounced: it suggested some grave ground of offence.
As the cab bore him homewards, he felt that this was an ominous event for the moment of his return to London.

He had had no heart to come back; from the steamer he had gazed sadly on the sunny shores of France, and on landing at Dover the island air was hard to breathe.

Yet harder the air of London streets.

The meeting in the station became a symbol of stiff, awkward, pretentious Anglicism.