uery, to avoid it, to dislike it, to disbelieve in
it;--but he cannot understand what it is to hate it. Cousin George
had probably exaggerated the transaction of which he had spoken, but
he had little thought that in doing so he had helped to imbue Sir
Harry with a true idea of his own character.

George passed on, and saw his cousin, who was now standing up with a
foreign ambassador. He just spoke to her as he passed her, calling
her by her Christian name as he did so. She gave him her hand ever so
graciously; and he, when he had gone on, returned and asked her to
name a dance.

"But I don't think I've one left that I mean to dance," she said.

"Then give me one that you don't mean to dance," he answered. And of
course she gave it to him.

It was an hour afterwards that he came to claim her promise, and she
put her arm through his and stood up with him. There was no talk then
of her not dancing, and she went whirling round the room with him in
great bliss. Cousin George waltzed well. All such men do. It is a
part of their stock-in-trade. On this evening Emily Hotspur thought
that he waltzed better than any one else, and told him so. "Another
turn? Of course I will with you, because you know what you're about."

"I'd blush if I'd time," said he.

"A great many gentlemen ought to blush, I know. That prince, whose
name I always forget, and you, are the only men in the room who dance
well, according to my ideas."

Then off they went again, and Emily was very happy. He could at least
dance well, and there could be no reason why she should not enjoy his
dancing well since he had been considered to be white enough to be
asked to the ball.

But with George there was present at every turn and twist of the
dance an idea that he was there for other work than that. He was
tracking a head of game after which there would be many hunters. He
had his advantages, and so would they have theirs. One of his was
this,--that he had her there with him now, and he must use it. She
would not fall into his mouth merely by being whirled round the room
pleasantly. At last she was still, and consented to take a walk with
him out of the room, somewhere out amidst the crowd, on the staircase
if possible, so as to get a breath of fresh air. Of course he soon
had her jammed into a corner out of which there was no immediate mode
of escape.

"We shall never get away again," she said, laughing. Had she wanted
to get away her tone and manner w