Nevertheless, thanks to his Spencer, he saw that he possessed the outlines of the field of knowledge.

It was a matter only of time, when he would fill in the outline.

Then watch out, he thought--'ware shoal, everybody! He felt like sitting at the feet of the professor, worshipful and absorbent; but, as he listened, he began to discern a weakness in the other's judgments--a weakness so stray and elusive that he might not have caught it had it not been ever present.

And when he did catch it, he leapt to equality at once.
Ruth came up to them a second time, just as Martin began to speak.
"I'll tell you where you are wrong, or, rather, what weakens your judgments," he said.

"You lack biology.