THE FRUITS IN CONVENTION. 447 



and her children seemed to pine away ; but since she had taken 

 that hardy creature, the Quince, for a partner, they had done won- 

 derfully well. For her own part, she had no objection whatever to 

 being called " Good Louise," or even " Dear Louisa," if her Ame- 

 rican friends and cousins liked it better. All she asked was to be 

 allowed to live in the closest intimacy with the Quince, and not 

 to have any cutting remarks made at her roots. She could not 

 bear that. 



A very superb and stately lady next rose, giving a shake to her 

 broad skirts of yellow satin, and looking about her with the air of 

 a duchess. In fact, it was the Duchesse cPAngouleme ; and though 

 she was a little high shouldered, and her features somewhat irregular, 

 she had still a very noble air. She remarked, in a simple and dig- 

 nified voice, that she had been many years in this country, and had 

 become very partial to the people and institutions. Naturally, she 

 had strong attachments to old names and associations, especially 

 where, as in her case, they were names that were names. But, she 

 added, it was impossible to live in America without mixing with 

 the people, if one's very name could not be understood. It was 

 very distressing to her feelings to find, as she did, that French was 

 not taught in the common schools ; and she hoped if an agricul- 

 tural college was established, the scholars would be taught that lan- 

 guage which was synonymous with every thing elegant and refined. 

 She trusted, in conclusion, that though names should be anglicized, 

 the dignity would be preserved. A duchess, in name at least, she 

 must always be ; but if republicans preferred to call her simply the 

 Duchess of Angouleme, she saw nothing amiss in it. Especially, 

 she remarked, with a slight toss of the head, especially, since she 

 had heard an ignorant man, at the country-seat where she resided 

 call her repeatedly " Duchy-Dan goes-lame ;" and another, who 

 visits him, speak of her, as " Dutch Dangle-um," forgetting that she 

 abhorred Holland. 



She was followed by the Red Streak Apple, from New Jersey, 

 a very blunt, sturdy fellow, who spoke his mind plainly. He said 

 he liked the good sense of the lady who had just spoken ; she was 

 a woman he should have no objection to call a Duchess himself. 

 About this matter he had but few words to say. Some folks were 



