"I will show you a finer," replied Madame Franchimeau; "see, I have brought with me my interesting _Bijou_"--and she called in an ugly little pug that had been scrambling about the cabin door ever since their arrival, and whose only qualification was that of painfully sitting up on his hind legs, and shaking his fore-paws in the fashion that is called begging. His mistress, with much importunity, prevailed on him to perform this elegant feat, and she then rewarded him with a saucer-full of cream, sugar, and sponge-cake. He was waspish and snappish, and snarled at Jane Clavering when she attempted to play with him; upon which Neptune, with one blow of his huge forefoot, brought the pug to the ground, and then stood motionless, looking up in Uncle Philip's face, with his paw on the neck of the sprawling animal, who kicked and yelped most piteously. This interference of the old Newfoundlander gave great offence to the French family, who all exclaimed, "_Quelle horreur! Quelle abomination! En effet c'est trop!_"[26] [Footnote 26: What horror! What abomination! It is really too much!] Uncle Philip could not help laughing; but Sam called off Neptune from Bijou, and set the fallen pug on his legs again, for which compassionate act he was complimented by the French ladies on his _bonté de coeur_,[27] and honoured at parting, with the title of _le doux Sammi_.[28] [Footnote 27: Goodness of heart.] [Footnote 28: The mild Sammy--the gentle Sammy.] "I'll never return this visit," said Uncle Philip, after the French guests had taken their leave. "Oh! but you _must_," replied Mrs. Clavering; "it was intended expressly for you--you _must_ return it, in common civility." "But," persisted Uncle Philip, "I wish them to understand that I don't intend to treat them with common civility. A pack of selfish, ridiculous, impudent fools. No, no. I am not so prejudiced as to believe that all French people are as bad as these--many of them, no doubt, if we could only find where they are, may be quite as clever as the first lieutenant of that frigate; but, to their shame be it spoken, the best of them seldom visit America, and our country is overrun with ignorant, vulgar impostors, who, unable to get their bread at home, come here full of lies and pretensions, and to them and their quackery must our children be intrusted, in the hope of acquiring a smattering of French jabber, and at the risk of losing everything else." "Don't you think Uncle Philip always talks best when he's in a passion?" observed Dick to Sam.