In a most impressive vein
In a position of undisputed supremacy
In a rapture of imagined ecstasy
In a secret and surreptitious way [surreptitious = done by clandestine or stealthy means]
In a spirit of friendliness and conciliation
In a state of mulish reluctance [mulish = stubborn and intractable]
In a state of nervous exacerbation
In a state of virtuous complacency
In a tone of uneasy interrogation
In a transport of ambitious vanity