iselle?" broke in young Torode, for the
couples were whirling past us and he had waited impatiently while we
talked.

"I must go and tie up my hair first. It looks like a tangle of vraic," she
laughed, and slipped away by the sides of the room and disappeared through
the doorway. And young Torode immediately took up his post there to claim
his dance as soon as she returned.

I was vexed with myself for giving him first chance. But truly my thoughts
had not been on the dancing, but only on Carette herself, and I would have
been content to look at her and listen to her all the evening without a
thought of anything more.

Young Torode's visible intention of keeping to himself as much of her
company as possible put me on my mettle, however, and when he dropped her
into a seat after that dance, I immediately claimed the next.

I could dance as well, I think, as any man in Sercq at that time, but I
felt myself but a clumsy sailorman after watching young Torode. For his
easy grace and confidence put us all into the shade, and did not, I am
afraid, tend to goodwill and fellowship on our part.

The other men, I noticed, had but little to say to him or he to them. He
danced now and then with one or other of the girls, and they seemed to
regard it more as an honourable experience than as matter of great
enjoyment. And the man with whose special belle-amie he was dancing would
sit and eye the pair gloomily the while, and remain silent and sulky for a
time afterwards.

But, except for such little matters as that, we had a right merry time of
it. Aunt Jeanne saw to that as energetically as though the hospitality of
Beaumanoir had had doubts cast upon it, a thing that never could have
happened. But Aunt Jeanne was energetic in all things, and this was her own
special yearly feast. And, ma fe, one may surely do what one likes with
one's own, and though one cannot recover one's youth one can at all events
live young again with those who are young.

The lively spirits of the younger folk worked so upon their elders, that
Uncle Henry Vaudin, who was seventy if he was a day, actually caught hold
of Aunt Jeanne, as she was flitting to and fro, and tried to dance her into
the whirling circle. But the result was only many collisions and much
laughter, as the youngsters nearly galloped over them, and Aunt Jeanne and
her partner stood in the centre laughing, till that dance was over.

Then she immediately challenged him to the hat dance