Sentence:  <WSD>Thinks</WSD> I to myself, "Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer &lsquo;cottage&rsquo; and if you don't look out there's likely to be some nice, lively dog taking an interest in your underpinning." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To communicate to oneself in one's mind, to try to find a solution to a problem.