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CHAPTER VIII

NEW MEN AND NEW MANNERS

R. FRANKLIN and Frances were treated as distinguished guests by Capt. Delaporte. The philosopher's reputation and fame had preceded him, and the beauty of the young Kentucky girl was sufficient to commend her to the impressionable Frenchman without further credentials; besides, when in public, Franklin always referred to Frances as his niece, and this acknowledged tie of relationship served to commend her to still further favor in the eyes of the officers of Le Roi de France.

"Where are we now?" asked Dr. Franklin, as the vessel's course was changed and, rounding a jutting headland, it appeared to be entering a river.

"This," said Capt. Delaporte, "is the mouth of the River Loire, which is said to be a mile wide."

"A very wide mile, too," commented Dr. Franklin.

"And," added Capt. Delaporte, "after a sail of thirtyfive miles up the river, I shall have the pleasure of landing you at the city of Nantes. I wish it were nearer Paris, your final destination, for you will have nearly two hundred and fifty miles of land travel before you reach that city."

Dr. Franklin made inquiries immediately after landing, as to how soon they could proceed to Paris. He

learned that post-chaises could not be secured until the next day.

"We shall have to wait here until to-morrow," he told Frances. "It will no doubt seem lonely after the exciting adventures we have gone through."

"If I had Black Star here," said Frances, "I would undertake to see everything of interest in town before we start for Paris."

"And what is Black Star?" queried Dr. Franklin, with a benign smile, as he gazed into the flushed face of his companion.

Frances, thus questioned, gave a graphic description of her beautiful white mare that she had left behind in old Kentucky, dwelling particularly on the distinguishing mark which had given the animal its unusual name. Carried away by her enthusiasm, she gave an equally felicitous description of Wilfrid Shelby's horse, Ranger, and the wary philosopher easily divined that Black Star and Ranger had traveled many miles side by side, through the Kentucky forests.

Franklin was possessed of a most happy spirit, and easily accommodated himself to any condition into which he might be thrown. He was suave and imperturbable in his intercourse with other diplomats; his writings were often humorous, more often witty; his conversation and correspondence always enlivened by much fun and not a little nonsense; while a most distinguishing trait of his character was his almost feminine gentleness in the social and domestic relations.

"Our mutual friend, Mr. Shelby," said the doctor, "is certainly not a ranger at the present time, unless Captain Conyngham, with his usual adroitnesss, has escaped from his captors and taken our young friend with him. I feel assured, however, that, as soon as his feet

touch French soil, he will proceed at once to Paris in search, not of a black star but of a white one; and when he finds her, he will be sure that heaven is on earth."

The young girl's face reddened to her temples. She was not unused to flattery, but the sensation produced by it was not the only cause of her momentary perturbation. To her mind the thought had quickly come -where was Wilfrid?-and she knew that Paris would be a heaven upon earth for her, as well as for him, if kind Fortune brought them together upon her arrival in that city. For a moment she said nothing; then, recovering her composure as quickly and completely as would have a grande dame, she said, in a matter-of-fact tone:

"What a very old place this is."

"Yes," said Franklin, taking his cue from her last remark, "it was once an old Roman city. They called it Portus Namnetum or The Gateway to the Sea. I am sorry we have not Black Star with us, but I am afraid that, even if she were here, I should not be able to accompany you on horseback. I will find some conveyance so that we need not miss the old-time or artistic beauties of the place."

Half an hour later, he returned with a carricole and driver. When they were seated, he said:

“I was vain enough to think you would prefer my company to going alone. The driver is intelligent and, fortunately, speaks some English. My spoken French is so poor that I dare not trust it unless some one is at hand to extend aid when needed."

As they drove off, the doctor asked: "Do you think vanity is a vice?”

Frances replied, simply: "I do not think you have enough of it, Doctor Franklin, to make it appear as such."

The doctor laughed.

"Really," said he, "I am greatly complimented. I should think you were just coming from Paris instead of making your first visit to that city of bon mots and gallant réparté. Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor and to others who are within his sphere of action; and, therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life."

The day was a delightful one and the novelty of the trip enlisted Frances's rapt attention and enhanced every feature of her unquestionable beauty. They passed a beautiful statue, or rather statues, for the group consisted of a male and female figure. From the guide, they learned that it was erected in honor of the last Duke and Duchess of Brittany.

"How beautiful!" exclaimed Frances.

"It is considered a masterpiece," said the doctor. "It is from the chisel of Colomb, greatest of those sculptors to whom is due the French Renaissance."

"Oh, what an antiquated castle !" cried Frances. “How grand, how majestic these old buildings are!"

After a somewhat extended colloquy with the driver, Franklin said:

"This is the old ducal castle which was built in 938 and rebuilt in 1466. Think of it, our country is not yet a hundred and seventy years old, while this building has stood for eight hundred and thirty-eight years. What will the United States of America be in A. D. 2614."

They passed beyond the borders of the city. It was

late in November, but the beauties of summer still re

mained.

"What a peaceful view, and how beautiful the sea is!" cried Frances.

"Yes," said Dr. Franklin, “happy is the land whose history is not diverting. But this city has been the scene of great historical events. In 1598, Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes, which guaranteed religious toleration in France. Eighty-seven years later, in 1685, Louis XIV, the Grand Monarch, as he is called, and the great-grandfather of the present king, revoked the edict and drove four hundred thousand Huguenots into exile. The injustice of kings is often the making of nations. Of this, our own country will one day afford the greatest example."

The driver stopped at the foot of a steep hill to rest his horses. Turning abruptly to the young girl, Franklin asked:

"Do you know the motto on the great seal of the United States, and what it means in English?"

After some hesitation, Frances replied: "E Pluribus Unum, and I think it means Many in One."

"That is the generally received opinion," said Franklin, "but there is a very peculiar story connected with that motto. Jefferson, Adams, and myself were appointed a committee by the Congress to devise the great seal, and I know its true history.

"One of the French Huguenots driven out of France by the Revocation of the edict of Nantes was Antoine Motteux. He went to London and, being a man of some degree of ability, began the publication of a monthly magazine. Upon the title-page was a design representing a bouquet of flowers and, underneath it, the words E Pluribus Unum. To him, however, this