She feared everything and everybody, and only hid her fear by a persistent cover of almost obstinate stupidity, which deceived, to some extent, her relations, but never in any degree herself.

She knew that she was plain, awkward and hesitating, but she knew also that she was clever.

She knew that she could do everything twice as fast as Jeremy and Helen, that she was often so impatient of their slow progress at lessons that she would beat her foot on the ground in a kind of agonised impatience.

She knew that she was clever, and she wondered sometimes why her cleverness did not give her more advantage.

Why, for instance, should Helen's good looks be noticed at once by every visitor and her own cleverness be unnoticed?
Certainly, on occasions, her mother would say: "And Mary?
I don't think you've met Mary.