I was shocked; surely Lady Holberton did not conceive it possible
that any of her guests could be guilty of such base conduct?

"How little you know them! But it is that, Mr. Howard, which has
interested me in your favor--you have so much naivete, and
ignorance of the moral turpitude of the old world, that I feel
convinced you never could be guilty of such an action yourself."

I assured Lady Holberton that in this respect she only did me justice;
and, in fact, a theft of the kind she alluded to appeared to me all but
incredible.

"Remember that it was only the other day that ----- lost his
invaluable album; remember that last winter Madame de ----- had all
her notes on botanical subjects stolen from her own portfolio--and I
could mention a dozen instances of the same wickedness."

These facts were already known to me, but I had forgotten them. I
remarked with a glow of national pride, that we certainly were much
more virtuous in these matters across the ocean; in America we are
much above pilfering autographs; when we do steal, it is by the
volume--we seize all an author's stock in trade at one swoop, and
without condescending to say even, thank ye, for it.

{author's stock in trade = though ostensibly referring to the stealing
of autographs, Susan Fenimore Cooper is also clearly referring to the
widespread pirating of British and other foreign literary works by
American publishers, in the absence of international copyright laws--
which not only cheated the authors, but made life difficult for
American authors expecting to be paid for their creations}