“ I meant, ” said Alice, crestfallen, “ that I take no special interest in him. ”
Lydia, not being curious as to the exact degree of Alice ’ s interest, merely nodded, and continued, “ He may, as you suppose, be a man of humble origin who has seen something of society; or he may be a gentleman unaccustomed to society. Probably the latter. I feel no conviction either way. ”
“ But he speaks very roughly; and his slang is disgusting. His hands are hard and quite black. Did you not notice them? ”
“ I noticed it all; and I think that if he were a man of low condition he would be careful not to use slang. Self-made persons are usually precise in their language; they rarely violate the written laws of society. Besides, his pronunciation of some words is so distinct that an idea crossed me once
