"Wa-a-l"--no man but an American of New England descent, as was the case with Miller, can give this word its attic sound--"Wa-a-l, it's hard to say. I hear a great deal about aristocrats, and I read a great deal about aristocrats, in this country, and I know that most folks look upon them as hateful, but I'm by no means sartain I know what an aristocrat is. Do you happen to know anything about it, friend?" "Ja, ja; an arisdograt ist one of a few men dat hast all de power of de government in deir own hands." "King! That isn't what we think an aristocrat in this part of the world. Why, we call them critturs here DIMIGOGUES! Now, young 'Squire Littlepage, who owns the Nest House, over yonder, and who is owner of all this estate, far and near, is what _we_ call an aristocrat, and he hasn't power enough to be named town clerk, much less to anything considerable, or what is worth having." "How can he be an arisdograt, den?" "How, sure enough, if your account be true! I tell you 'tis the dimigogues that be the aristocrats of America. Why, Josh Brigham, who has just gone for the sheep, can get more votes for any office in the country than young Littlepage!" "Berhaps dis young Littlebage ist a pat yoong man?" "Not he; he's as good as any on 'em, and better than most. Besides, if he was as wicked as Lucifer, the folks of the country don't know anything about it, sin' he's be'n away ever sin' he has be'n a man." "Vhy, den, gan't he haf as many votes as dat poor, ignorant fellow might haf?--das ist ott." "It is odd, but it's true as gospel. _Why_, it may not be so easy to tell. Many men, many minds, you know. Some folks don't like him because he lives in a big house; some hate him because they think he is better off than they are themselves; others mistrust him because he wears a fine coat; and some pretend to laugh at him because he got his property from his father, and grand'ther, and so on, and didn't make it himself. Accordin' to some folks' notions, now-a-days, a man ought to enj'y only the property he heaps together himself." "If dis be so, your Herr Littlebage ist no arisdograt." "Wa-a-l, that isn't the idee, hereaway. We have had a great many meetin's, latterly, about the right of the people to their farms; and there has been a good deal of talk at them meetin's consarnin' aristocracy and feudal tenors; do you know what a feudal tenor is, too?" "Ja; dere ist moch of dat in Teutchland--in mine coontry. It ist not ferry easy to explain it in a few vords, but der brincipal ding ist dat der vassal owes a serfice to hist lort. In de olten dimes dis serfice vast military, und dere ist someding of dat now. It ist de noples who owe der feudal serfice, brincipally, in mine coontry, and dey owes it to de kings and brinces." "And don't you call giving a chicken for rent feudal service, in Germany?"