I dare say you remember buying a new hat in Hebsworth last Friday ?' The love of inflicting pain for its own sake, an element of human nature only overgrown by civilisation, was showing itself strongly in Dagworthy.

He was prolonging this scene.

On his way to the mill he had felt that the task would be rather disagreeable; but we cannot nurture baseness with impunity, and, face to face with a man under torture, he enjoyed the spectacle as he scarcely would have done a little while ago.
Perhaps the feeling that his first blow at Emily was actually struck gave him satisfaction, which he dwelt upon.
Hood made no reply to the question.

He would not admit to himself that this was the end, but he had no voice.
'You hear me ?' Dagworthy reminded him.
'Yes.

I bought a hat.' 'And you paid for it with the note I have lost.