Hence at times Sepia's purse would be long empty before the giving-thought would wake in the mind of Hesper.

When it woke, it was gracious and free.
Had Sepia ventured to run up bills with the tradespeople, Hesper would have taken it as a thing of course, and settled them with her own.

But Sepia had a certain politic pride in spending only what was given her; also she saw or thought she saw serious reason for avoiding all appearances of taking liberties; from the first of Mr.Redmain's visits to Durnmelling, she had been aware, with an instinct keen in respect of its objects, though blind as to its own nature, that he did not like her, and soon satisfied herself that any overt attempt to please him would but ripen his dislike to repugnance; and her dread was that he might make it a condition with Mr.Mortimer that Hesper's intimacy with her should cease; whereas, if once they were married, the husband's disfavor would, she believed, only strengthen the wife's predilection.
Having so far gained her end, it remained, however, almost as desirable as before that she should do nothing to fix or increase his dislike--nay, that, if within the possible, she should become pleasing to him.

Did not even hate turn sometimes to its mighty opposite?
But she understood so little of the man with whom she had to deal that her calculations were ill-founded.
She was right in believing that Mr.Redmain disliked her, but she was wrong in imagining that he had therefore any objection to her being for the present in the house.

He certainly did not relish the idea of her continuing to be his wife's inseparable companion, but there would be time enough to get rid of her after he had found her out.