Final answer:
The question appears to be about Professor Henry Higgins from George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion", but the given excerpt is from Henry James's "Daisy Miller", resulting in insufficient information to determine Higgins's behavior. Without context from "Pygmalion", we cannot accurately answer the question.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question seems to be related to a character's behavior in a piece of literature, most likely George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion", where the character Professor Henry Higgins is known for his condescending attitude toward Eliza Doolittle.
However, based on the provided reference which appears to pertain to Henry James's "Daisy Miller" rather than Shaw's "Pygmalion", there is not enough information given to determine Higgins's behavior toward Eliza. This indicates a possible mix-up with literary works. Without specific textual evidence from "Pygmalion", the answer to the question whether Higgins acts like a middle-class gentleman toward Eliza cannot be determined from the information given.
The question is asking whether Higgins acts like a middle-class gentleman toward Eliza. Higgins' behavior can be seen in the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. Throughout the play, Higgins is portrayed as being quite rough and impolite towards Eliza, often using derogatory language and belittling her.
He treats her more like an experiment than a human being, which does not align with the behavior expected of a middle-class gentleman. Therefore, the answer to the question is True.