The chief mortgagee intended to foreclose in the course of the next three months, unless an arrangement could be come to at once, which appeared impossible.
He was actually at bay.

Thus, although in his first moments of consciousness, he had intended to go directly he was well and demand his love openly and chance the rest, this news made that course now quite out of the question.

He could not condemn her to wretched poverty and tie a millstone round both their necks.

The doctors had absolutely forbidden him to read or even know of any more letters--the official ones the secretary could deal with--but he became so restless with anxiety that Arabella Clinker was persuaded to bring them up and at least let him glance at the addresses.
There was one from Cheiron, which he insisted upon opening--a brief dry line of commiseration for his accident, with no mention of Halcyone in it.

The complete ignoring of his letter to announce their marriage cut him deeply.