Sentence:  At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false <WSD>modesty</WSD> which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The quality of being modest; having a limited and not overly high opinion of oneself and one's abilities.