Of late the filter manufacturer had begun to strike notes in his conversation which jarred on Sidney's sensibilities, and made him disagreeably suspicious that something more was meant than Joseph cared to put into plain speech.

Since his establishment in business Joseph had become remarkably attentive to his father; he appeared to enter with much zeal into all that concerned Jane; he conversed privately with the old man for a couple of hours at a time, and these dialogues, for some reason or other, he made a point of reporting to Sidney.
According to these reports--and Sidney did not wholly discredit them--Michael was coming to have a far better opinion of his son than formerly, was even disposed to speak with him gravely of his dearest interests.
'We talked no end about you, Sidney, last night,' said Joseph on one occasion, with the smile, whereby he meant to express the last degree of friendly intelligence.
And Sidney, though anxiously desiring to know the gist of the conversation, in this instance was not gratified.

He could not bring himself to put questions, and went away in a mood of vague annoyance which Joseph had the especial power of exciting.
With the Byasses, Joseph was forming an intimacy; of this too Sidney became aware, and it irritated him.

The exact source of this irritation he did not at first recognise, but it was disclosed at length unmistakably enough, and that on the occasion of the visit recently described.

Bessie's pleasantry, which roused him in so unwonted a manner, could bear, of course, but one meaning; as soon as he heard it, Sidney saw as in a flash that one remaining aspect of his position which had not as yet attracted his concern.