Mrs. Fenimore reads "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" by Sir Walter Scott, "Roderick-Dhu, Clan Alpines' Chief, or, the Scottish Outlaw" by Thomas Archer, Esq. Roderick Dhu happens to be a character in both Scott's poem and Archer's novel. Mrs. Fenimore's name also has a literary ring to it: America's first great author, James Fenimore Cooper, was renowned for writing the Leatherstocking tales.