"A linguist?" he repeated in surprise. Only a very few women in his time and area went to the University, but a black woman?
He was an open-minded man, himself. Unlike many of the people in Kinraddie, Rob could read- and not just the bible, either. Oh, they were forever telling him that education was dirt, but he paid them no heed. So, it wasn't that he didn't think she should be able, but just that it was new to him.