Having found the passage, he read it through aloud in a manner which made Homer for the first time sound like poetry in Alec's ears, and almost revealed the hidden significance.

Then pouncing at once upon the shadowy word which was the key to the whole, he laid open the construction and meaning in one sentence of explanation.
"Thank you! thank you!" exclaimed Alec.

"I see it all now as plain as English." "Stop, stop, my young bantam!" said Mr Cupples.

"Don't think you're going to break into my privacy and get off with the booty so cheaply.
Just you construe the whole sentence to me." Alec did so tolerably well; for the passage was only an easy extract, the class not having reached Homer yet.

Mr Cupples put several questions to him, which gave him more insight into Greek than a week's work in the class would have done, and ended with a small lecture suggested by the passage, drinking away at his toddy all the time.