hammond began to take on again the harried look familiar from several occasions of their first mission together , to china , and laurence was unable to resist , with a certain dour amusement , some speculation whether hammond would not quickly regret having allowed time to soften his impressions of those past difficulties-and to add a roseate glow to the final triumph-and having volunteered himself as the man intended to keep a leash upon them in this proposed endeavor .