tess beckoned her, and announced rather sedately
that they must be going, as the minister had already begun his round of
handshaking.

"And when will I see you again?" Scotty asked forlornly, as the girl
came downstairs dressed for her drive.

Isabel was intent on buttoning her glove. "I--I suppose you sometimes
come to the Glen?" she suggested, without looking up.

Scotty hastened to asseverate that he spent almost all his waking hours
there, and that he was a daily visitor at the Manse; and before Mrs.
Cameron could get through bidding the neighbours good-bye, he had
secured permission to come with his black colt the next day, and with
Mrs. Cameron's consent they would drive up to the Oa to see how the
Silver Maple looked in its autumn dress.

No sooner had the minister and the elder guests turned their backs,
than the young folk who remained made a joyous rush for the furniture.
Chairs and benches were piled helter-skelter in the corners and a
unanimous demand arose for Fiddlin' Archie's Sandy to bestir his lazy
bones and tune up!

Thus importuned, the musician, who had fearfully concealed his unholy
instrument from the minister's eyes all afternoon, mounted upon a
table, and after much screwing up and letting down and strumming of
notes, now high and squeaky, now low and buzzing, banged his bow down
upon all the strings at once, and in stentorian tones gave forth the
electrifying command: "Take--yer--partners!"

This was the signal for a general stampede, not out upon the floor, but
back to the walls, leaving a clear space down the middle of the room;
for dancing before company was a serious business not to be entered
upon lightly, and it required no small courage to be the first to step
out into the range of the public eye.

Balls were generally opened by a couple of agile young men dashing
madly into the middle of the floor to execute a clattering step dance
opposite each other, and under cover of this sortie the whole army
would sweep simultaneously into the field.

Dan Murphy and Roarin' Sandy's Archie were the two who this night first
ventured into the jaws of public opinion. Jimmie's best man, as became
the dandy of the countryside, could disport himself with marvellous
skill on the terpsichorean floor, and Dan Murphy was at least warranted
to make plenty of noise. The two young men flung aside their coats and
went at their task, heel and toe, with a right good will and a
tremendous clatter. They