His soreness of mind grew as in the pauses of talk he came to realise more exactly the failure of the evening--of his very successful and encouraging meeting--from his own private point of view.
"Didn't you like that last speech ?" he broke out suddenly--"that labourer's speech?
I thought you would.

It was entirely his own idea--nobody asked him to do it." In reality Gairsley represented a corner of the estate which Aldous had specially made his own.

He had spent much labour and thought on the improvement of what had been a backward district, and in particular he had tried a small profit-sharing experiment upon a farm there which he had taken into his own hands for the purpose.

The experiment had met with fair success, and the labourer in question, who was one of the workers in it, had volunteered some approving remarks upon it at the meeting.
"Oh! it was very proper and respectful!" said Marcella, hastily.
The carriage rolled on some yards before Aldous replied.

Then he spoke in a drier tone than he had ever yet used to her.
"You do it injustice, I think.