And he began to be seriously afraid that by the end of August he would be obliged to apply to Quarrier once more for some slight temporary token of that gentleman's goodwill.

He told Lydia this, and she seemed to agree with him.

This pleased him.

She had not pleased him very much recently.

For one thing she was becoming too friendly with some of his friends--Desmond in particular.
Plank, it was known, had opened his great house at Black Fells.