Indeed, he appeared to be rather a hard and self-sufficient young man, with a queer temper, and manners that were uncompromisingly abrupt, who was consumed with a desire to get on in the world, which was natural, these critics thought, in a man of no means, but not engaging.
The young men in the office had a perfect right to these opinions, because Denham showed no particular desire for their friendship.

He liked them well enough, but shut them up in that compartment of life which was devoted to work.

Hitherto, indeed, he had found little difficulty in arranging his life as methodically as he arranged his expenditure, but about this time he began to encounter experiences which were not so easy to classify.

Mary Datchet had begun this confusion two years ago by bursting into laughter at some remark of his, almost the first time they met.

She could not explain why it was.