Part 36 (1/2)
”He's an American aristocrat.”
”We have no aristocrats with us. He's a great slave-owner, and immensely rich.”
”Very substantial claims to distinction, I must confess. You are wiser in these matters than we are. What do you think of Canada?”
”I don't know; it's very well for a young place. I only came here with sister last night; we are on our way to Quebec.”
”To visit friends?”
”We have no friends in Canada. We want to see Lord Elgin.”
”Lord Elgin!”
”Yes. We have seen a great many curious things, but we never saw an English lord.”
”And you are going to Quebec for no other purpose than to look at Lord Elgin? His lords.h.i.+p should feel himself highly flattered. What sort of an animal do you suppose him to be?”
”A man, of course; but I a.s.sure you that the Boston ladies thought a great deal of him. Sister and I have plenty of time and money at our disposal, and we wanted to see if their opinion was correct.”
”Well, I hope you may be gratified, and agree with the Boston ladies that he is a very clever man.”
”Is he handsome?”
”He has an English nose.”
”Oh, shocking!”
”A decided Anglo-Saxon face.”
”I'm sure I shan't admire him.”
”But I'll not antic.i.p.ate. A man may be a fine looking fellow in spite of his nose. But what do you think of the Falls?”
”Well, I have not _quite_ made up my mind about them. I should like to ride down to the edge of the river to look at them from below.”
”I will order a carriage to-morrow morning, and drive you down.”
”Thank you; I can do that for myself, if I have a mind to. I should like to ride down on horseback.”
”The path is too steep; no one ventures down that terrible road on horseback.”
”But I'm a capital rider.”
”No matter; they use cows for that purpose here.”
”Cows!”
”They are very safe, sure-footed animals. All the ladies ride down to the Falls on cows.”
”Are they fools?”