then, Hutter, or Hovey, was a pirate, and being no father of
mine, I cannot wish to call him one. His name shall no longer be my
name."

"If you dislike the name of that man, there's the name of your mother,
Judith. Her'n may sarve you just as good a turn."

"I do not know it. I've look'd through those papers, Deerslayer, in the
hope of finding some hint by which I might discover who my mother was,
but there is no more trace of the past, in that respect, than the bird
leaves in the air."

"That's both oncommon, and onreasonable. Parents are bound to give their
offspring a name, even though they give 'em nothing else. Now I come of
a humble stock, though we have white gifts and a white natur', but we
are not so poorly off as to have no name. Bumppo we are called, and I've
heard it said--" a touch of human vanity glowing on his cheek, "that the
time has been when the Bumppos had more standing and note among mankind
than they have just now."

"They never deserved them more, Deerslayer, and the name is a good one;
either Hetty, or myself, would a thousand times rather be called Hetty
Bumppo, or Judith Bumppo, than to be called Hetty or Judith Hutter."

"That's a moral impossible," returned the hunter, good humouredly,
"onless one of you should so far demean herself as to marry me."

Judith could not refrain from smiling, when she found how simply and
naturally the conversation had come round to the very point at which she
had aimed to bring it. Although far from unfeminine or forward, either
in her feelings or her habits, the girl was goaded by a sense of wrongs
not altogether merited, incited by the hopelessness of a future that
seemed to contain no resting place, and still more influenced by
feelings that were as novel to her as they proved to be active and
engrossing. The opening was too good, therefore, to be neglected,
though she came to the subject with much of the indirectness and perhaps
justifiable address of a woman.

"I do not think Hetty will ever marry, Deerslayer," she said, "and if
your name is to be borne by either of us, it must be borne by me."

"There's been handsome women too, they tell me, among the Bumppos,
Judith, afore now, and should you take up with the name, oncommon as you
be in this particular, them that knows the family won't be altogether
surprised."

"This is not talking as becomes either of us, Deerslayer, for whatever
is said on such a subject, between man and woman, should be sa