But he saw she did not understand him . `` I mean , did any one ever teach you the music you played here that evening ? '' `` Oh , no . It just came as I thought . It has always been that way . When I was very little Neil taught me to hold the violin and the bow , and the rest all came of itself . My violin once belonged to Neil , but he gave it to me . Neil is very good and kind to me , but I like you better . Tell me about yourself . '' The wonder of her grew upon him with every passing moment . How lovely she was ! What dear little ways and gestures she had -- ways and gestures as artless and unstudied as they were effective . And how strangely little her dumbness seemed to matter after all ! She wrote so quickly and easily , her eyes and smile gave such expression to her mobile face , that voice was hardly missed . They lingered in the orchard until the long , languid shadows of the trees crept to their feet . It was just after sunset and the distant hills were purple against the melting saffron of the sky in the west and the crystalline blue of the sky in the south . Eastward , just over the fir woods , were clouds , white and high heaped like snow mountains , and the westernmost of them shone with a rosy glow as of sunset on an Alpine height . The higher worlds of air were still full of light -- perfect , stainless light , unmarred of earth shadow ; but down in the orchard and under the spruces the light had almost gone , giving place to a green , dewy dusk , made passionately sweet with the breath of the apple blossoms and mint , and the balsamic odours that rained down upon them from the firs . Eric told her of his life , and the life in the great outer world , in which she was girlishly and eagerly interested . She asked him many questions about it -- direct and incisive questions which showed that she had already formed decided opinions and views about it .
Yet it was plain to be seen that she did not regard it XXXXX anything she might ever share herself .
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