He seemed uncertain; looked quickly away; glanced again, and,
meeting her eyes, raised his hat, though still without conviction in
his face. Maud came naturally forward a step or two, and they shook
hands; then at once she introduced him to her mother. No one ever
experienced awkward pauses in Mrs. Enderby's presence; conversation
linked itself with perfect ease, and in a minute they were examining
the pictures together. Mrs. Enderby had made up her mind with regard
to her new acquaintance in one or two gleams of her quick eyes, and
then talked on in an eager, intelligent way, full of contagious
enthusiasm, which soon brought out Waymark's best powers. Maud said
very little. Whenever it was possible unobserved, she gazed at
Waymark's face. She found herself thinking that, in external
appearance, he had improved since she last saw him. He had no longer
that hungry, discontented look to which she had grown accustomed in
the upper schoolroom at Dr. Tootle's; his eye seemed at once quieter
and keener; his complexion was brighter; the habitual frown had
somewhat smoothed away. Then, he was more careful in the matter of
dress. On the whole, it seemed probable that his circumstances had
changed for the better.
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