“Maybe it means having a mustache,” said Carl, with a slight flush.

“That has something to do with it certainly, but Mrs. Flynn has a mustache, and she is not a man.”

“Well, I don’t know how to explain it then,” said Carl.

8

“You have studied grammar, will you parse the word man?”

“Man is a common noun, masculine gender, third–––”

“What does masculine gender mean?”

“It means male.”

“Then to be a man means to be a male. How does the grammar define gender?”

“The distinction of nouns with regard to sex.”