o? Why did you never mention
Brancaccia to me before?"

He replied in a tone, as though closing the discussion, that there had
never been any reason to mention her, that he had known her all her life,
and she was nothing to him.

I changed the subject and, saying it was a long time since I had been to
a ball, asked if there was anything I ought to do. He said that I was
expected to dance. Now my dancing days terminated many years ago when I
was told that my dancing was the very prose of motion, but I did not want
to say so, because I thought it just possible I might be allowed to dance
with Brancaccia if I played my cards judiciously; so I merely said
modestly I was afraid of knocking up against the other couple. Peppino
silenced this objection by promising to dance with me himself, and to see
that all went well. So I danced a waltz with Peppino. He, of course,
complimented me upon my proficiency, and told me I ought now to dance
with the bridegroom. So I danced another waltz with the bridegroom. He
then said it was expected that I should dance with the bride. This
naturally alarmed me, but I boldly asked her and she consented with a
stiff bow: we performed a polka together and I restored her to her seat,
feeling as though I had crossed from Siracusa to Valletta in a storm,
more frightened than hurt, it is true, but glad it was over, especially
as I now considered myself entitled to introduce the subject of dancing
with Brancaccia. Peppino received the proposition without enthusiasm,
saying she was her own mistress and I could do as I liked.

"But first," he said, "there shall be a contraddanza; did you know what
is contraddanza? All right, I shall tell you. A dancing man shall be
crying to the people to do and they shall do, but if to don't know,
better to don't dance or would come confusion; better to see and to
expect."

"All right, Peppino," I said. "I don't know enough about it; I will look
on and wait, and when it is over I shall ask Brancaccia to dance a waltz
with me."

Peppino paid no attention: he was off and busy superintending the
preparations for the contraddanza.

Eight couples stood in the middle of the room, space being made for them
by removing the chairs they left unoccupied, and by the remaining guests
packing themselves more closely into the corners. The dancers stood in a
circle, men and women alternately, and the circle sometimes became a
square, as in a quadrille, and sometime