The vast extent of his possessions, visible to him at that altitude, might, one would have thought, have restored some of his complacency.

But the very extent of his ownership, thus perpetually brought before him, created a fresh sense of grievance.

How was it, he thought, that with so much at command that others wished for, he could not achieve the dearest wishes of his heart?
In this state of intellectual and moral depravity, he found a solace in the renewal of his experiments with the mechanical powers of the kite.
For a couple of weeks he did not see Lady Arabella, who was always on the watch for a chance of meeting him; neither did he see the Watford girls, who studiously kept out of his way.

Adam Salton simply marked time, keeping ready to deal with anything that might affect his friends.

He called at the farm and heard from Mimi of the last battle of wills, but it had only one consequence.