rms at once humble and officious,--always in the excellent
French which well-trained house-servants were taught to use on such
occasions.

... Night wore on: still the shining floor palpitated to the feet of
the dancers; still the piano-forte pealed, and still the violins
sang,--and the sound of their singing shrilled through the darkness, in
gasps of the gale, to the ears of Captain Smith, as he strove to keep
his footing on the spray-drenched deck of the Star.

--"Christ!" he muttered,--"a dance! If that wind whips round south,
there'll be another dance! ... But I guess the Star will stay." ...

Half an hour might have passed; still the lights flamed calmly, and the
violins trilled, and the perfumed whirl went on ... And suddenly the
wind veered!

Again the Star reeled, and shuddered, and turned, and began to drag all
her anchors. But she now dragged away from the great building and its
lights,--away from the voluptuous thunder of the grand piano, even at
that moment outpouring the great joy of Weber's melody orchestrated by
Berlioz: l'Invitation a la Valse,--with its marvellous musical swing!

--"Waltzing!" cried the captain. "God help them!--God help us all now!
... The Wind waltzes to-night, with the Sea for his partner!" ...

O the stupendous Valse-Tourbillon! O the mighty Dancer!
One--two--three! From northeast to east, from east to southeast, from
southeast to south: then from the south he came, whirling the Sea in
his arms ...

... Some one shrieked in the midst of the revels;--some girl who found
her pretty slippers wet. What could it be? Thin streams of water were
spreading over the level planking,--curling about the feet of the
dancers ... What could it be? All the land had begun to quake, even
as, but a moment before, the polished floor was trembling to the
pressure of circling steps;--all the building shook now; every beam
uttered its groan. What could it be? ...

There was a clamor, a panic, a rush to the windy night. Infinite
darkness above and beyond; but the lantern-beams danced far out over an
unbroken circle of heaving and swirling black water. Stealthily,
swiftly, the measureless sea-flood was rising.

--"Messieurs--mesdames, ce n'est rien. Nothing serious, ladies, I
assure you ... Mais nous en avons vu bien souvent, les inondations
comme celle-ci; ca passe vite! The water will go down in a few hours,
ladies;--it never rises higher than this; il n'y a pas le moindre
danger, j