The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

The narrator was surprised at how well the Cuban sopke English, his mastery of the language, and most of all his vocabulary. From the text, we can infer that he didn't expect a foreign, cigar maker to be so well educated.

He spoke English excellently, and frequently surprised me by using words one would hardly expect from a foreigner. The first one of this class of words he employed almost shocked me, and I never forgot it, 'twas "ramify." We sat on the piazza until after ten o'clock. When we arose to go in to bed it was with the under standing that I should start in the factory on the
next day.