Pretty is as pretty does

The expression “Pretty is as pretty does” turns a familiar judgment about beauty into a claim about behavior: a person’s goodness and care make her beautiful, whether or not anyone can see her face. In this scene, Elton uses it to answer a woman’s doubt about how a blind man could call her pretty, and the saying becomes a measure of the attention she gives Michael.

The Saying in Context

Elton has noticed the woman watching him. When she apologizes, he tells her there is nothing to be sorry about and says she is one of the best things to come into his life. He calls her pretty, but she challenges the basis of his compliment: Elton has never seen her and cannot know what she looks like.

His reply shifts the meaning of the exchange. Rather than pretend to know her physical appearance, he explains that he judges her through her voice, the way she speaks to him and Michael, and the care she gives Michael. The proverb names that evidence directly: character is not separate from beauty but its truest expression.

Meaning and Effect

The line’s compact parallel structure makes it sound like a general rule, while its placement makes the rule personal. Elton is not offering an abstract definition; he is telling the woman that her conduct has already made an impression on him. The contrast between his useless eyes and his confident judgment gives the compliment its force: sight is unavailable, but attentive listening and observation of care remain.

The woman laughs, uncertain whether from embarrassment or disbelief, then admits she does not feel beautiful. Elton answers with confidence that somebody will love her. His reassurance does not erase her self-doubt, but it rests on a specific recognition: the way she treats Michael is visible to Elton in the only sense that matters to his judgment.