When he wishes to debate within himself that question of his wife's temper, he will find himself considering whether he may not judiciously give away half a dozen pairs of those old boots; or when it behoves him to decide whether it shall be manure and a green crop, or a fallow season and then grass seeds, he cannot keep himself from inward inquiry as to the meaning of that peculiar smile on Mrs.Walker's face when he shook hands with her last night.
Lord Brougham and Professor Faraday can, no doubt, command their thoughts.

If many men could do so, there would be many Lord Broughams and many Professor Faradays.
At the present moment Herbert Fitzgerald had no right to consider himself as following in the steps of either one or other of these great men.

He wished to think about his father's circumstances, but his mind would fly off to Clara Desmond and her perfections.

And thus, though he remained there for half an hour, with his back to the fire and his hands in his pockets, his deliberations had done him no good whatever,--had rather done him harm, seeing that he had only warmed himself into a firmer determination to go on with what he was doing.

And then he went to his mother.
She kissed him, and spoke very tenderly, nay affectionately, about Clara; but even she, even his mother, did not speak joyously; and she also said something about the difficulty of providing a maintenance for a married son.