He was talking off his superfluous wrath, and the wine he had taken did not tend to cool his heat.

Lord Hartledon, vexed at the injustice, lost his temper; and for once there was a quarrel, sharp and loud, between the brothers.

It did not last long; in its very midst they parted; throwing cutting words one at the other.

Lord Hartledon quitted the room, to join his guests; Val Elster strode outside the window to cool his brain.
But now, look at the obstinate pride of those two foolish men! They were angry with each other in temper, but not in heart.

In Percival Elster's conscience there was an underlying conviction that his brother had acted only in thoughtless impulse when he carried the misfortune to the Rectory; whilst Lord Hartledon was even then full of plans for serving Val, and considered he had more need to help him than ever.