I think everybody ought to respect her.' It was perilously near a misunderstanding, but Totty was not altogether in earnest, and had good sense enough to refrain from unworthy suggestions on such a subject.

Ackroyd had sometimes half suspected that she quarrelled on trivial grounds of set purpose, for he was well aware of her native sincerity and honest plainness of dealing.
Her bad news was unfortunately true enough.

For half a year Mr.Boddy had been breaking up; the process began very suddenly, and was all the harder to bear.

Under any circumstances he could not have held his own in the battle with society much longer--the battle for the day's food of which society does its best to rob each individual--and the catastrophe in the home of the girls who were dear to him as though they had been his own children, sounded the note of retreat.

Thyrza was not so much to him as Lydia, but still was very much, and the sorrow which darkened Lydia's life was to him the beginning of the end of all things.
Yes, he hid the state of things very skilfully from Lydia's eyes.