all enjoy that quite as much
as her beautiful dancing. She's going to take the principal part in the
laughable after-piece of Passing round the Hat, and I hope the audience
will--a--a--a--do the rest. She's consented on this occasion to use a
hat--or cap, rather--of her own, the charming Tam O'Shanter in which
we've all seen her, and--a--admired her about the ship for the week
past."

He caught up the flat woolen steamer-cap which Clementina had left in
her seat beside Mrs. Milray when she rose to dance, and held it aloft.
Some one called out, "Chorus! For he's a jolly good fellow," and led
off in his praise. Lord Lioncourt shouted through the uproar the
announcement that while Miss Claxon was taking up the collection, Mr.
Ewins, of Boston, would sing one of the student songs of Cambridge--no!
Harvard--University; the music being his own.

Everyone wanted to make some joke or some compliment to Clementina
about the cap which grew momently heavier under the sovereigns and
half sovereigns, half crowns and half dollars, shillings, quarters,
greenbacks and every fraction of English and American silver; and the
actor who had given the imitations, made bold, as he said, to ask his
lordship if the audience might not hope, before they dispersed, for
something more from Miss Claxon. He was sure she could do something
more; he for one would be glad of anything; and Clementina turned from
putting her cap into Mrs. Milray's lap, to find Lord Lioncourt bowing
at her elbow, and offering her his arm to lead her to the spot where she
had stood in dancing.

The joy of her triumph went to her head; she wished to retrieve herself
from any shadow of defeat.

She stood panting a moment, and then, if she had had the professional
instinct, she would have given her admirers the surprise of something
altogether different from what had pleased them before. That was what
the actor would have done, but Clementina thought of how her dance had
been brought to an untimely close by the rolling of the ship; she burned
to do it all as she knew it, no matter how the sea behaved, and in
another moment she struck into it again. This time the sea behaved
perfectly, and the dance ended with just the swoop and swirl she had
meant it to have at first. The spectators went generously wild over her;
they cheered and clapped her, and crowded upon her to tell how lovely it
was; but she escaped from them, and ran back to the place where she had
left Mrs. Milray