large hotel opened a large room, with large windows down to the
floor,--the dining-room of the establishment, now cleared for dancing
purposes. All the idlers of Oldport, male and female, black and white,
congregated at these windows and thronged the portico; and almost into
the very midst of this crowd our party was shot, baggage and all. While
Ashburner was looking out of a confused heap of people and luggage, he
heard one of the assistant loafers say to another, "Look at Mr.
Edwards!" Profiting by the information not originally intended for him,
he followed the direction of the speaker's nose, and beheld a little
showily-dressed man flying down the room with a large showily-dressed
woman, going the _poursuite_ of the Redowa at a terrific rate. So that,
literally, the first thing he saw in Oldport was Tom Edwards dancing.
But there was no opportunity to make a further study of this, "one of
the most remarkable men among us," for the party had to look up their
night quarters. Benson had dispatched in advance to Mr. Grabster,
proprietor of the Bath Hotel at Oldport Springs, a very particular
letter, stating the number of his party, the time he meant to be there,
and the number of rooms he wanted, and had also sent his horses on
ahead; but though the animals had arrived safe and found stable-room,
there was no preparation for their master. Ashburner, at the request of
the ladies, followed Benson into the office (for the Bath Hotel being,
nominally at least, the first house in the place, had its bar-room and
office separate), and found Harry in earnest expostulation with a
magnificently-dressed individual, whom he took for Mr. Grabster himself,
but who turned out to be only that high and mighty gentleman's head
book-keeper. The letter had been dispatched so long beforehand that,
even at the rate of American country posts, it ought to have
arrived, but no one knew any thing about it. Both the young men
suspected--uncharitably, perhaps, but not altogether unnaturally--that
Mr. Grabster and his aids, finding a prospect of a full season, had not
thought it worth their while to trouble themselves about the
application, or to keep any rooms. Ashburner suggested trying another
hotel, but the roads were muddy, and vehicles scarce at that time of
night, so that altogether there seemed a strong probability of their
being compelled to "camp out" on the portico. But it was not in Benson
"to give it up so." He possessed, as we have alre