"Aw, aw!" and walked away.

The girl looked after him as if she wanted to cry, but just then a great
whirl of music burst from the next room, and I thought the meeting was
about to organize, when a tall fellow, with his mustache quirled up like
an ox-horn, came tetering up to the young female by my side.

"May I have the honor?" says he.

The girl turned her head sideways, and rolled up her eyes like a pullet
drinking.

"It is a quadrille, Count," says she, "and I never join in one."

"A quadrille, pardonne! You are right. When you daunce--if you
daunce--why, of course, you daunce a round daunce."

The fellow flung out his white hands, making a little dive forward with
each word; then he saw my face, which must have spoken volumes, and
slacked off his antics. I don't think he liked the cut of my smile, for,
crooking up his elbow, he leaned forward, and says he:

"May I be honored with a promenade?"

She took his arm, and the two fluttered off into the crowd, which was
pouring off into a large room beyond the one we were in.

"The meeting is going to commence now in good earnest," I thought. "I'll
try and get a seat where I can hear."

Cousin Dempster and E. E. came up, and I joined in. The lecture-room was
long, and lighted up beautifully. Right in front of the door was the
singers' gallery, hung round with red cloth, and over that hung great
wreaths of flowers, but I saw neither pulpit nor reading-desk.

"Where will the minister be?" I whispered to Cousin Dempster.

"Oh, he will open the ball."

"Open the ball! What _do_ you mean?" says I. "A minister dancing! I
won't believe it."

"Why, they all do," says he, innocent as a lamb. "No better dancers in
Washington."

Sisters, what _do_ you think of that? Was I to blame when I insisted on
leaving that house at once? Would you have had me sit by and witness
this degradation? "No," says I to Cousin Dempster, "I won't stay. If
ministers of the Gospel will do such things, I, as a New England
woman--girl I mean--would be committing a sin to look on."

"But you do not understand. They are Foreign Ministers, sent here by
other nations, which they represent."

"So much the worse--how dare they set such examples?" says I.

"Ambassadors! can't you understand?"

"Of course I understand. All ministers are ambassadors from the Lord;
but I never heard of their dancing, except that Shaking Quakers do now
and then, which is a part of their religion, and they are