He at once assented.

He had been watching keenly the development of her character, and had seen with pride and satisfaction that as time went on she seemed to acquire greater resolution, larger self-dependence.

She was becoming more and more of his ideal.

Without losing any of her womanhood, she was beginning to look at things more from a man's point of view than is usually done by, or possible to, women.
When she returned at the end of a week she was full of new gravity.

After a while this so far changed that her old lighter moods began to have their place, but it seemed that she never lost, and that she never would lose, the effect of that week of bitter experience amongst the 'submerged tenth.' The effect of the mental working was shown by a remark made by Harold when home on his next college vacation.