Samuel receives some very bad news, and feels quite low. as time passes, you would expect:

As time passes, you would expect his emotions to return to their usual state.

Upon hearing bad news, we are likely to feel sad and distraught, at least for a while. Everyone needs time to process their grief and they do it in different ways, however, it will always take some time. After that grieving moment has passed, we are likely to return to our normal states of mind.