Straight off the door next morning, I said: "Noah Webster published his first dictionary in 1828." (I had done a bit of research.)
Wygate was, again, writing at his desk. Without looking up, he said, "That would have been more impressive had it come yesterday."
"Mr. Webster might have put off publishing to suit you—indeed, who wouldn’t try to suit you?—but could standardized spelling have withstood the delay?"