along somehow after the rest, with rebellion at his
heart and a deep sense of degradation. "If my clerks were to see me
now!" he thought.

After some minutes of this, Mr. Burdekin stopped them and directed sets
to be formed for "The Lancers."

"Bultitude," said Mr. Burdekin, "you will take Miss Mutlow, please."

"Thank you," said Paul, "but--ah--I don't dance."

"Nonsense, nonsense, sir, you are one of my most promising pupils. You
mustn't tell me that. Not another word! Come, select your partners."

Paul had no option. He was paired off with the tall and rather angular
young lady mentioned, while Dulcie looked on pouting, and snubbed
Tipping, who humbly asked for the pleasure of dancing with her, by
declaring that she meant to dance with Tom.

The dance began to a sort of rhythmical accompaniment by Mr. Burdekin,
who intoned "Tops advance, retire and cross. Balance at corners. (Very
nice, Miss Grimstone!) More '_abandon_,' Chawner! Lift the feet more
from the floor. Not so high as that! Oh, dear me! that last figure over
again. And slide the feet, oh, slide the feet! (Bultitude, you're
leaving out all the steps!")

Paul was dragged, unwilling but unresisting, through it all by his
partner, who jerked and pushed him into his place without a word, being
apparently under strict orders from the governess not on any account to
speak to the boys.

After the dance the couples promenaded in a stiff but stately manner
round the room to a dirge-like march scraped upon the violin, the boys
taking the parts of ladies jibbing away from their partners in a highly
unlady-like fashion, and the boy burdened with the companionship of the
younger Miss Mutlow walking along in a very agony of bashfulness.

"I suppose," thought Paul, as he led the way with Miss Mary Mutlow, "if
Dick were ever to hear of this, he'd think it _funny_. Oh, if I ever get
the upper hand of him again----. How much longer, I wonder, shall I have
to play the fool to this infernal fiddle!"

But, if this was bad, worse was to come.

There was another pause, in which Mr. Burdekin said blandly, "I wonder
now if we have forgotten our sailor's hornpipe. Perhaps Bultitude will
prove the contrary. If I remember right, he used to perform it with
singular correctness. And, let me tell you, there are a great number of
spurious hornpipe steps in circulation. Come, sir, oblige me by dancing
it alone!"

This was the final straw. It was not to be supposed for one mo