She was twelve years old when he died, and had, therefore, ample opportunity to know.
It was her grandfather's strong personality, in fact, which had given her so clear an idea of her father's many weaknesses.

Rutter, she felt, was a combination of both Barkeley and Prim--forceful and yet warped by prejudices; dominating yet intolerant; able to do big things and contented with little ones.

It was forcefulness, despite his many shortcomings, which most appealed to her.
Moreover, she saw much of Harry in him.

It was that which made her so willing to listen--she continually comparing the father to the son.
These comparisons were invariably made in a circle, beginning at Rutter's brown eyes, taking in his features and peculiarities--many of them reproduced in his son's--such as the firm set of the lips and the square line of the chin--and ending, quite naturally, with the brown orbs again.

While Harry's matched the color and shape, and often the fierce glare of the father's, they could also, she said to herself, shine with the soft light of the mother's.