The squire went away just at the time, and did not come back for months afterwards, and after that he was altogether changed.
Before, he had been one of the most popular men in this part of the country, but now he shut himself up, gave up all his acquaintances, and never went outside the park gates except to come down to church.

I remember it gave us quite a shock when we saw him for the first time--he seemed to have grown an old man all at once.

Everyone said that the death of his son had broken his heart.
"And Aggie is his granddaughter! Well, well, you have astonished me.
But why did you not tell me before ?" "There were a good many reasons, ma'am.

I thought, in the first place, you might refuse me, if you knew, for it might do you harm.

The squire is a vindictive man, and he is landlord of your house; and if he came to know that you had knowingly taken in his granddaughter, there was no saying how he might have viewed it.