His voice had an edge that belied the smile on his lips.
The deep set blue eyes held a smile that belied his solemn expression.
His expression was nothing if not amiable, yet there was a twinkle in his eyes that belied the surface calm.
That opportunity came when Basil died in 1533, leaving as successor a child only three years old, and the chances seemed all on the side of the nobles; but the result belied the current expectations, for the child came to be known in history as Ivan the Terrible, and died half a century later in the full enjoyment of unlimited autocratic power.
He was a man whose unassuming character belied his extraordinary erudition and unfailing kindness.