“…in the morning he had started for Mexico to keep the mines going, to keep the firm’s head above water and Baldry Court sleek and hospitable – to keep everything bright and splendid save only his youth, which ever after that was dulled by care”

In this moment, Jenny is reflecting on a moment fifteen years ago in which Chris’s father, Mr. Baldry, sends Chris to Mexico to oversee the family business there, as it is implied through Jenny’s quiet observations that the business is not doing well. It is revealed to the readers earlier in the story that this takes place after Chris’s argument with Margaret that ends their relationship. This moment could be interpreted as the point where Chris’s imaginative, romantic youth is “dulled,” and he is forced into bearing some responsibility for the family business. This moment may very well be where Chris starts to become dissatisfied with this new chapter of his life. His unhappiness comes at the price of keeping Baldry Court “sleek and hospitable” and up to the family’s upper-class standards. He was forced to take a role in the family business so that their lifestyle could remain expensive and “splendid,” but he was forced to change who he was. It could be interpreted that having to give up his true expression of self to look after the family business negatively impacted his mental health. In essence, he sacrificed his mental health to uphold the image of Baldry Court. It would make sense, then, that he resents this role he plays in society because he had to sacrifice so much for it.