But, the idea of attaching any considerations of
_gentility_ to my noble, manly, daring profession, sounded so
absurd, I could not avoid laughing. In a few moments, however, I
became grave.
"Harkee, Rupert," said I: "I trust Miss Merton does not think I
endeavoured to mislead her as to my true position, or to make her
think I was a greater personage than I truly am?"
"I'll not answer for that. When we were first acquainted, I found she
had certain notions about Clawbonny, and your _estate_, and all
that, which were rather English, you know. Now, in England an
_estate_ gives a man a certain consideration, whereas land is so
plenty with us, that we think nothing of the man who happens to own a
little of it. _Stock_, in America, as it is so much nearer
ready-money, is a better thing than land, you know."
How true was this, even ten years since; how false is it to-day! The
proprietor of tens of thousands of acres, was, indeed, under the
paper-money _regime_, a less important man than the owner of a
handful of scrip, which has had all its value squeezed out of it,
little by little. That was truly the age when the representative of
property was of far more importance than the property itself; and all
because the country existed in a fever, that set everything in motion.
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