His second was written much in the same tone; though Lily, as she had read it, had unconsciously felt somewhat less satisfied than she had been with the first.

Expressions of love were not wanting, but they were vague and without heartiness.
They savoured of insincerity, though there was nothing in the words themselves to convict them.

Few liars can lie with the full roundness and self-sufficiency of truth; and Crosbie, bad as he was, had not yet become bad enough to reach that perfection.

He had said nothing to Lily of the hopes of promotion which had been opened to him; but he had again spoken of his own worldliness,--acknowledging that he received an unsatisfying satisfaction from the pomps and vanities of Courcy Castle.

In fact he was paving the way for that which he had almost resolved that he would do, now he had told Lady Alexandrina that he loved her; and he was obliged to confess to himself that the die was cast.
As he thought of all this, there was not wanting to him some of the satisfaction of an escape.