It's none of those things, unfortunately. He's a cultured fellow tea sipper. Like myself, the only finger being held up when drinking the dead-leaf water is the little one. It's a very supercilious statement to have made, on his behalf. An approximate comparison can be found in some old clay cuneiform tablets; a servant may write to his liege that he is no more than the dust beneath his sandals; so insignificant, subservient, and loyal is he. In this way, the uncultured, lesser classes are not even as worthy as the tea he has the privilege of drinking. It is their duty to provide it, and they are worth no more consideration than it.