decidedly
wrong.

The subject was changed by our seeing the purser lead out one of the fat
ladies, behind whom Dicky had been hid, to attempt a waltz. Never was
there a more extraordinary performance. Neither of them had a notion of
the dance. They floundered and flolloped, and twisted and turned, and
tumbled against all the other couples, till they spread consternation
around; and at last found themselves the sole performers in the room.
As poor Nip went twirling round, much in the way that a child's
humming-top does when it begins to stagger preparatory to stopping, he
perceived a suppressed laugh on the lips and in the eyes of the
surrounding spectators; and suspecting that he might be the cause of it,
gave a convulsive gripe at his partner's waist, or at the part where her
waist should be, in order to bring himself to an anchor. The effort was
too great for his powers, and both he and she came with a run to the
floor, close to where Dicky and I were standing. There they kicked and
struggled in vain efforts to rise. At this Dicky could no longer
contain himself, but, regardless of the purser's anger, burst into a
loud fit of laughter. However, we ran forward to do our best to get the
hero and heroine on their legs again, though we were too much convulsed
to be of much assistance.

"I'll pay you off for this, Master Sharpe," whispered the purser,
looking up fiercely.

"I couldn't help it, indeed I could not," answered Dicky in an
apologetic tone; "you did look so funny."

"I'll wring your ears off, you young puppy," cried poor Nip, rising and
shaking himself, in his rage forgetting the fair sharer of his
misfortune.

"Look to your partner, Mr Cheesnip," said Captain Poynder, coming up,
and guessing the cause of the purser's anger. "Here, Sharpe, help me to
put the lady on her legs."

By some pulling and hauling, and by others shoving behind, we got Madame
Cheesnip, as we ever after called her, into a perpendicular position;
but she was too much shaken to dance again, especially with the cause of
her misfortune. Indeed, for the rest of the evening the ladies fought
very shy of poor Nip, and we took good care to keep out of his way.
Dicky and I stayed to the last, spending our time very satisfactorily
between our two partners and the refreshment and supper rooms; and I am
afraid to mention the vast amount of sandwiches, cakes, and bonbons
which Dicky consumed, washed down by cups of coffee, lemonade, a