That shows what a gentle, yielding girl you were, and what a masterful character I was!" His intention, you see, was, without letting Grizel know what he was at, to make her think he had forgotten certain unpleasant incidents in their past, so that, seeing they were no longer anything to him, they might the sooner become nothing to her.

And she believed that he had forgotten, and she was glad.

She smiled when he told her to go on being masterful, for old acquaintance had made him like it.

Hers, indeed, was a masterful nature; she could not help it; and if the time ever came when she must help it, the glee of living would be gone from her.
She did continue to be masterful--to a greater extent than Tommy, thus nobly behaving, was prepared for; and his shock came to him at the very moment when he was modestly expecting to receive the prize.

She had called when Elspeth happened to be out; and though now able to move about the room with the help of a staff, he was still an interesting object.