Acknowledging that she may have underestimated him

Related to the idea in Towles' novel that people "deserve our reconsideration" is this idea of "acknowleding she may have underestimated him'

Then she leaned back in her chair and appraised the Count in a manner acknowledging that she may have underestimated him. (127)

This happens when Nina re-evaluates the Count when he shows some math knowledge that didn't suspect he had.  

Later

[Now in the book (190), the Count is worried that this character [Nina] has lost some of her specialness that she had a few years before when he first met her, or was at least 'wasting it' on her focus on communist things.  (She was every bit herself, he claims to the seamstress, "Still full of curiosity, and passion, and self-assurance.' "And yet.." he says... she seems to have become humorless."]