INFLUENCE OF NORTH AMERICAN LITERATURE 489 



and view themselves in the mirror. Judith puts on most eagerly 

 the red brocade, taken from the chest, in order to impress her naive 

 friend, but must content herself with a reproof from him; and later 

 she wears it again, when, driven by her love, she goes into the enemy's 

 camp, in order to free her loved one from the hands of the Indians, 

 who, thirsting for revenge, have condemned him to death. It is 

 expressly said of her: "A charming creature! And she looked like 

 a queen in that brocade dress." Clarissa, too, goes to meet her former 

 lover in all her finery and in her most beautiful dress (a velvet also), 

 "so that she was like a noble lady, who is brought to a king's feast"; 

 and the author assigns a similar motive for her action: "There is 

 something in woman's finery and festive clothes that keeps you at a 

 distance; it is the court dress of their souls; and even the old son of 

 the forest, who had never seen any jewels except those of morning 

 in the fir trees, felt himself oppressed and almost subdued by Clarissa's 

 beauty." And Ronald begs her to lay aside the "stiff finery," as 

 Deerslayer begged Judith. The latter is taken with a tender love, 

 delicately portrayed by the author, which by degrees fills her whole 

 heart; but she is cold in her expression of it, as she is oppressed with 

 remorse on account of her earlier relations with Warley. Clarissa 

 as well regards her love for Ronald as a sin, but finally gives herself 

 entirely up to it. The mutual love of the two sisters is also similarly 

 portrayed by the two authors. Johanna is like Hetty, especially in 

 the unconscious awakening of her love. Cooper likes to bring 

 women of high birth or culture into his novels; and bringing in two 

 sisters is quite typical of him, and of Stifter as well (Field Flowers, 

 Two Sisters) ; the very similar pair of sisters, Cora and Alice, in the 

 Last of the Mohicans, may have hovered before Stifter's mind in 

 many passages. 



In comparing Gregory with the Deerslayer, their difference in 

 age need not be too strongly emphasized. In spite of his youth, 

 and though he is on the warpath for the first time, Deerslayer is 

 yet a mature man in thought and action; and Gregory, though 

 standing at the utmost limits of advanced age, is as enthusiastic 

 and fond of adventure, and toys as much with plans for the future, 

 as Deerslayer. Young Deerslayer is already compared with the most 

 experienced veterans; he speaks earnestly and solemnly, acts with 

 dignity and respect, and is called Straight Tongue. The contrast- 

 between his youthful years and his prudent, circumspect bearing 

 and carefully weighed words impresses even the Indian, who says 

 of him: " My brother has two scalps gray hair under the other. Old 

 wisdom young tongue!" or "Young head old mind"; "Young 

 head old wisdom." 



Both Gregory and Deerslayer have grown into unity with their 

 forests: "This is grand! 't is solemn! 't is an education in itself, 



