And the whole country-side in which they had been rooted for centuries agreed with them.

There had even been a certain disapproval of the financial successes of Philip Gaddesden's father.

It was true that the Gaddesden rents had gone down.
But the country, however commercialised itself, looked with jealousy on any intrusion of "commercialism" into the guarded and venerable precincts of Martindale.
The little lady who was now, till Philip's majority and marriage, mistress of Martindale, was a small, soft, tremulous person, without the intelligence of her daughter, but by no means without character.
Secretly she had often felt oppressed by her surroundings.

Whenever Philip married, she would find it no hardship at all to retire to the dower house at the edge of the park.

Meanwhile she did her best to uphold the ancient ways.