He did ridiculous and undignified things.

As a small boy, he had fought at least three pitched battles in the village, and that was not a proper thing for a Guiseley to do.

He liked to go out with the keepers after poachers, and Dick, very properly, asked himself what keepers were for except to do that kind of thing for you?
There had been a bad row here, too, scarcely eighteen months ago; it had been something to do with a horse that was ill-treated, and Frank had cut a very absurd and ridiculous figure, getting hot and angry, and finally thrashing a groom, or somebody, with his own hands, and there had been uncomfortable talk about police-courts and actions for assault.

Finally, he had fallen in love with, proposed to, and become engaged to, Jenny Launton.

That was an improper thing for a younger son to do, anyhow, at his age, and Dick now perceived that the fact that Jenny was Jenny aggravated the offense a hundredfold.