He will never leave Dr.Derwent.The good Thibaut!" All were silent for a minute; then Piers pushed back his chair.
"Work ?" said Mrs.Hannaford, with a little note of allusion to last evening.
"Work!" Piers replied grimly, his eyes down.
"Well, now," exclaimed Irene, turning to her cousin, "what shall we do this splendid morning?
Where can we go ?" Piers left the room as the words were spoken.

He went upstairs with slower step than usual, head bent.

On entering his room (it was always made ready for him while he was at breakfast), he walked to the window, and stared out at the fleecy clouds in the summer blue, at the trees and the lawn.

He was thinking of the story of Thibaut.

What a fine fellow Dr.Derwent must be! He would like to know him.
To work! He meant to give an hour or two to his Russian, with which he had already made fair progress.