He felt himself suddenly appreciating the fact that she had behaved very well.

She had come to this quiet corner of the world under the weight of a cruel indignity, and she had been so gracefully, modestly thankful for the rest she found there.

She had joined that simple circle over the way; she had mingled in its plain, provincial talk; she had shared its meagre and savorless pleasures.

She had set herself a task, and she had rigidly performed it.

She had conformed to the angular conditions of New England life, and she had had the tact and pluck to carry it off as if she liked them.