ys. A thin, trim youth, with
bright eyes glancing hither and thither, executed a complex step, and
glided with surprising dexterity in and out, and through this rushing
mad mass of light toilettes and flying coat-tails. Marks, too, of
conflict were visible. Mr. Ryan had lost some portion of his garment in
an obscure misunderstanding in the supper-room. All Mr. Lynch's studs
had gone, and his shirt was in a precarious state; drunken Sir Richard
had not been carried out of the room before strewing the floor with his
necktie and fragments of his gloves. But these details were forgotten in
the excitement. The harper twanged still more violently at his strings,
the fiddler rasped out the agonizing tune more screechingly than ever;
and as the delirium of the dance fevered this horde of well-bred people
the desire to exercise, their animal force grew irresistible, and they
charged, intent on each other's overthrow. In the onset, the vast
shoulders and the _deux temps_ were especially successful. One couple
had gone down splendidly before him, another had fallen over the
prostrate ones; and in a moment, in positions more or less recumbent,
eight people were on the floor. Fears were expressed for the tight
dresses, and Violet had shown more of her thin ankles than was
desirable; but the climax was not reached until a young man, whose
unsteady legs forbade him this part of the fun, established himself in a
safe corner, and commenced to push the people over as they passed him.
This was the signal for the flight of the chaperons.

'Now come along, Miss Barton,' cried Mrs. Barton, catching sight of
Alice; 'and will you, Lord Dungory, look after Olive?'

Lord Rosshill collected the five Honourable Miss Gores, the Miss
Brennans drew around Mrs. Scully, who, without taking the least notice
of them, steered her way.

And so ended, at least so far as they were concerned, the ball given
by the spinsters of the county of Galway. But the real end? On this
subject much curiosity was evinced.

The secret was kept for a time, but eventually the story leaked out
that, overcome by the recollections of still pleasanter evenings spent
under the hospitable roof of the Mayo bachelor, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Lynch and
Sir Charles had brought in the maid-servants, and that, with jigs for
waltzes, and whiskey for champagne, the gaiety had not been allowed to
die until the day was well begun. Bit by bit and fragment by fragment
the story was pieced together,