In addition, his cloth cap had been replaced by a soft hat, which she commanded him to put on and then complimented him on his appearance.

She did not remember when she had felt so happy.

This change in him was her handiwork, and she was proud of it and fired with ambition further to help him.
But the most radical change of all, and the one that pleased her most, was the change in his speech.

Not only did he speak more correctly, but he spoke more easily, and there were many new words in his vocabulary.
When he grew excited or enthusiastic, however, he dropped back into the old slurring and the dropping of final consonants.

Also, there was an awkward hesitancy, at times, as he essayed the new words he had learned.
On the other hand, along with his ease of expression, he displayed a lightness and facetiousness of thought that delighted her.