The clockmaker's apprentice

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

Mr Pritchard placed the mantel clock on the counter and invited the two churchwardens to examine it. Ruth stood beside the workbench with her hands folded in her apron. When Mr Cale glanced at Ruth and asked whether she had helped, the clockmaker replied that she had watched the repair but was not much given to speaking. He told her to fetch the small screwdriver.

Ruth returned with it and remained near the clock while Mr Pritchard described the work. She had noticed that the clock stopped whenever its rear panel was fastened in place. A narrow brass pin touched the wheel at that moment, but she had said nothing because the clockmaker was explaining his own repair. Mr Cale glanced at her, then turned back to the older man.

When the clock stopped again, Mr Pritchard asked Ruth whether she had seen anything unusual. She pointed to the pin and described exactly when the hand ceased moving. The clockmaker loosened the panel, tested the mechanism and found that her account was correct. The churchwardens listened as Ruth explained the position in a few careful sentences.

After they had gone, Mr Pritchard asked why she had not spoken sooner. Ruth said that she had not wished to interrupt a customer. He considered this, then moved the clock towards her. The next morning, when another visitor brought a broken watch, he asked Ruth to examine it first and waited while she gave her opinion.

“The writer shows that Ruth's quietness hides a careful understanding that others are slow to recognise.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.