s, and was very severe upon them; some of them were friends of
mine, and it was not pleasant. But I was especially hurt by a remark
which he made afterwards. Americans are noted in England for their use
of slang. The English suppose that the language of Sam Slick or of Nasby
is the language used in cultivated society. They do not seem to
understand it, and I have no doubt to-day that Lowell's comic poems are
taken seriously. So at this table, Dr. Whewell, wishing to say that we
would do something in the way of sight-seeing very thoroughly, turning
to me, said, 'We'll go the whole hog, Miss Mitchell, as you say in
America.'

"I turned to the young American girl who sat next to me, and said, 'Miss
S., did you ever hear that expression except on the street?' 'Never,'
she replied.

"Afterwards he said to me, 'You in America think you know something
about the English language, and you get out your Webster's dictionary,
and your Worcester's dictionary, but we here in Cambridge think we know
rather more about English than you do.'

"After lunch we went to the observatory. The Cambridge Observatory has
the usual number of meridian instruments, but it has besides a good
equatorial telescope of twenty feet in length, mounted in the English
style; for Mr. Airy was in Cambridge at the time of its establishment.
In this pretty observatory, overlooking the peaceful plains, with some
small hills in the distance, Mr. and Mrs. Airy passed the first year of
their married life.

"Professor Challis, the director, is exceedingly short, thick-headed (in
appearance), and, like many of the English, thick-tongued. While I was
looking at the instruments, Mrs. Airy came into the equatorial house,
bringing Mr. Adams, the rival of Leverrier, [Footnote: See Chapter
VII.]--another short man, but bright-looking, with dark hair and eyes,
and again the thick voice, this time with a nasal twang. He is a fellow
of Pembroke College, and master of arts. If Mr. Adams had become a
fellow of his own college, St. John, he must have gone into holy orders,
as it is called; this he was not willing to do; he accepted a fellowship
from Pembroke.

"Mr. Adams is a merry little man, loves games with children, and is a
favorite with young ladies.

"At 6.30 we went again to the lodge to dine. We were a little late, and
the servant was in a great hurry to announce us; but I made him wait
until my gloves were on, though not buttoned. He announced us with a
loud voi