ciples;
but who render themselves useless because they will admit of no
compromises. He did not belong to the class of American _doctrinaires_,
however, or to those who contend--no, not _contend_, for no one does
that any longer in this country, whatever may be his opinion on the
subject--but those who _think_ that political power, as in the last
resort, should be the property of the few; for he was willing New York
should have a very broad constituency. Nevertheless, he was opposed to
the universal suffrage, in its wide extent, that does actually exist; as
I suppose quite three-fourths of the whole population are opposed to it,
in their hearts, though no political man of influence, now existing, has
the moral calibre necessary to take the lead in putting it down. Dunning
deferred to principles, and not to men. He well knew that an infallible
whole was not to be composed of fallible parts; and while he thought
majorities ought to determine many things, that there are rights and
principles that are superior to even such _unanimity_ as man can
manifest, and much more to their majorities. But Dunning had no selfish
views connected with his political notions, wanting no office, and
feeling no motive to affect that which he neither thought nor wished. He
never had quitted home, or it is highly probable his views of the
comparative abuses of the different systems that prevail in the world
would have been essentially modified. Those he saw had unavoidably a
democratic source, there being neither monarch nor aristocrat to produce
any other; and, under such circumstances, as abuses certainly abound, it
is not at all surprising that he sometimes a little distorted facts, and
magnified evils.

"And my noble, high-spirited, and venerable mother has actually gone to
the Nest to face the enemy!" exclaimed my uncle, after a thoughtful
pause.

"She has, indeed; and the noble, high-spirited, though not venerable,
young ladies have gone with her," returned Mr. Dunning, in his caustic
way.

"All three, do you mean?"

"Every one of them--Martha, Henrietta, and Anne."

"I am surprised that the last should have done so. Anne Marston is such
a meek, quiet, peace-loving person, that I should think _she_ would have
preferred remaining, as she naturally might have done, without exciting
remark, with her own mother."

"She has not, nevertheless. Mrs. Littlepage _would_ brave the
anti-renters, and the three maidens _would_ be her companion