Perhaps you could help me to understand myself."
"If I thought I could, it would give me great happiness."
She was silent a little, then, with diffidence which lessened as she
went on, she related the history, as far as she knew it, of her
childhood, and described the growth of her mind up to the time when
she had left home to begin life as a governess. It was all very
simply, but very vividly, told; that natural command of impressive
language which had so struck Waymark in her letters displayed itself
as soon as she had gained confidence. Glimpses of her experience
Waymark had already had, but now for the first time he understood
the full significance of her early years. Whilst she spoke, he did
not move his eyes from her face. He was putting himself in her
position, and imagining himself to be telling his own story in the
same way. His relation, he knew, would have been a piece of more or
less clever acting, howsoever true; he would have been considering,
all the time, the effect of what he said, and, indeed, could not, on
this account, have allowed himself to be quite truthful. How far was
this the case with Maud Enderby? Could he have surprised the
faintest touch of insincerity in look or accent, it would have made
a world's difference in his position towards _her_.
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