He talked to her of Norman, and of Norman's prospects in the office; he told her how he had intended to abstain from offering himself as a competitor, till he had, as it were, been forced by Norman to do so; he declared over and over again that Norman would have been victorious had he stood his ground to the end, and assured her that such was the general opinion through the whole establishment.

And this he did without talking much about himself, or praising himself in any way when he did so.

His speech was wholly of his friend, and of the sorrow that he felt that his friend should have been disappointed in his hopes.
All this had its effects.

Of Norman's rejected love they neither of them spoke.

Each knew that the other must be aware of it, but the subject was far too tender to be touched, at any rate as yet.
And so matters went on, and Alaric regained the footing of favour which he had for a while lost with the mistress of the house.
But there was one inmate of Surbiton Cottage who saw that though Alaric spent so much of his tune with Mrs.Woodward, he found opportunity also for other private conversation; and this was Linda.