"0h, not Englishmen only," exclaimed Miss Laura, hotly; "Chinamen,and Negroes, and everybody. There ought to be a brotherhood ofnations, Harry."

"Yes, Miss Enthusiasm, I suppose there ought to be," and lookingup, I could see that Mr. Harry was gazing admiringly into hiscousin's face.

"Please tell me some more about the Englishman," exclaimed MissLaura.

"There isn't much to tell. He lives alone, only coming occasionallyto the village for supplies, and though he is poorer than poverty, hedespises every soul within a twelve-mile radius of him, and looksupon us as no much better than an order of thrifty, well-trained loweranimals."

"Why is that?" asked Miss Laura, in surprise.

"He is a gentleman, Laura, and we are only common people. Myfather can't hand a lady in and out of a carriage as LordChesterfield can, nor can he make so grand a bow, nor does he puton evening dress for a late dinner, and we never go to the operanor to the theatre, and know nothing of polite society, nor can wetell exactly whom our great-great-grandfather sprang from. I tellyou, there is a gulf between us and that Englishman, wider than theone young Curtius leaped into."

Miss Laura was laughing merrily. "How funny that sounds, Harry.So he despises you," and she glanced at her good-looking cousin,and his armsome buggy and well-kept mule, and then burst intoanother merry peal of laughter.