unconsciously drops into the tones and dialect of the
negro, by daily association. His constant use of the
expressive and characteristic "Gee" was startling, to
say the least. And yet it came from his lips in such a
boyish way she felt sure that it was due to his
embarrassment in the unusual position in which he had
found himself with her.

His helplessness with the dictionary was proof, of
course, that he was no scholar. And yet a boy might
have a fair education in the schools of today and be
unfamiliar with this ponderous and dignified
encyclopedia of words. It was impossible to believe
that he was illiterate. His clothes, his carriage,
even his manners made such an idea preposterous.

Besides, no inventor could be really illiterate.
He may have been forced to work and only attended night
schools. But if he were a mechanic, capable of making
a successful improvement on one of the most delicate
and important parts of an automobile, he must have
studied the principles involved in his inventions.

His choice of a profession appealed to her
imagination, too. It showed independence and
initiative. It opened boundless possibilities. He
might be an obscure and poorly educated boy today. In
five years he could be a millionaire and the head of
some huge business whose interests circled the world.