"But der State wilt do dat widout asking for it particularly, vill it not?" "I never heard that it would." "If anybody hast a claim to der broperty, vilt not der courts try it?" "Yes, yes--in that way; but a tenant can't set up a title ag'in his landlord." "Vhy should he? He canst haf no title but his landlort's, and it vould be roguery and cheatery to let a man get into der bossession of a farm under der pretence of hiring it, und den coome out und claim it as owner. If any tenant dinks he hast a better right dan his landlort, he can put der farm vhere it vast before he might be a tenant, und den der State wilt examine into der title, I fancys." "Yes, yes--in that way; but these men want it another way. What they want is for the State to set up a legal examination, and turn the landlords off altogether, if they can, and then let themselves have the farms in their stead." "But dat would not be honest to dem dat hafen't nothing to do wid der farms. If der State owns der farms, it ought to get as moch as it can for dem, and so safe _all_ der people from baying taxes. It looks like roguery, all roundt." "I believe it is that, and nothing else! As you say, the State will examine into the title as it is, and there is no need of any laws about it." "Would der State, dink you, pass a law dat might inquire into de demandts dat are made against der batroons, vhen der tratesmen sent in deir bills?" "I should like to see any patroon ask sich a thing! He would be laughed at, from York to Buffalo." "Und he would desarf it. By vhat I see, frient, your denants be der arisdograts, und der landlordts der vassals." "Why you see--what may your name be?--as we're likely to become acquainted, I should like to know your name." "My name is Greisenbach, und I comes from Preussen." "Well, Mr. Greisenbach, the difficulty about aristocracy is this. Hugh Littlepage is rich, and his money gives him advantages that other men can't enj'y. Now, that sticks in some folks' crops." "Oh! den it ist meant to divite broperty in dis coontry; und to say no man might haf more ast anudder?" "Folks don't go quite as far as that, yet; though some of their talk does squint that-a-way, I must own. Now, there are folks about here that complain that old Madam Littlepage and her young ladies don't visit the poor." "Vell, if deys be hard-hearted, und hast no feelin's for der poor and miseraple----" "No, no; that is not what I mean, neither. As for that sort of poor, everybody allows they do more for _them_ than anybody else about here. But they don't visit the poor that isn't in want." "Vell, it ist a ferry coomfortable sort of poor dat ist not in any vant. Berhaps you mean dey don't associate wid 'em, as equals?" "That's it. Now, on that head, I must say there is some truth in the charge, for the gals over at the Nest never come here to visit my gal, and Kitty is as nice a young thing as there is about."