ys
came out right when things looked most against it.

In a little while the empty rooms were peopled. Dress improved the young
ladies of the house very much, and the young ladies who came were some
of them quite pretty: The gentlemen seemed to me very tiresome and not
at all good-looking. Richard was quite a king among them, with his
square shoulders, and his tawny moustache, and his blue eyes.

There were not quite gentlemen enough, and Mrs. Hollenbeck fluttered
into the library to hunt up Mr. Langenau, and he presently came out with
her. He was dressed with more care than usual, and suitably for evening:
he had the _vive_ attentive manner that is such a contrast to most young
men in this country: everybody looked at him and wondered who he was.
The music-teacher was playing vigorously, and so, before the German was
arranged, several impetuous souls flew away in waltzes up and down the
room. The parlor was a very large room. It had originally been two
rooms, but had been thrown into one, as some pillars and a slight arch
testified. The ceiling was rather low, but the many windows which opened
on the piazza, and the unusual size of the room, made it very pretty
for a dance. Mary Leighton and the tutor were dancing; somebody was
talking to me, but I only saw that.

"How well he dances," I heard some one exclaim.

I'm afraid it must have been Richard whom I forgot to answer just
before: for I saw him twist his yellow moustache into his mouth and bite
it; a bad sign with him.

Kilian was to lead with Mary Leighton, and he came up to where we stood,
and said to Richard, "I suppose you have Miss Pauline for your partner?"

Now I had been very unhappy for some time, dreading the moment, but
there was nothing for it but to tell the truth. So I said, "I hope you
are not counting upon me for dancing? You know I cannot dance!"

"Not dance!" cried Kilian, in amazement; "why, I never dreamed of that."

"You don't like it, Pauline?" said Richard, looking at me.

"Like it!" I said, impatiently. "Why, I don't know how; who did I ever
have to dance with in Varick-street? Ann Coddle or old Peter? And Uncle
Leonard never thought of such a thing as sending me to school."

"Why didn't you tell me before, and we wouldn't have bothered about
this stupid dance," said Kilian; but I think he didn't mean it, for he
enjoyed dancing very much.

Richard had to go away, for though he hated it, he was needed, as they
had not gentlemen en