He had not this good excuse for his somewhat aggressive impulse to promulgate his felicity; his sentiment was of another quality.

He wanted for once to make the heads of the house of Bellegarde FEEL him; he knew not when he should have another chance.
He had had for the past six months a sense of the old lady and her son looking straight over his head, and he was now resolved that they should toe a mark which he would give himself the satisfaction of drawing.
"It is like seeing a bottle emptied when the wine is poured too slowly," he said to Mrs.Tristram.

"They make me want to joggle their elbows and force them to spill their wine." To this Mrs.Tristram answered that he had better leave them alone and let them do things in their own way.

"You must make allowances for them," she said.

"It is natural enough that they should hang fire a little.