all came to pass.

We Americans breathed a sigh of relief when the "rigodon" ended, and
mustered fresh courage for social conquests in the waltz that was now
breathing forth from the trembling strings. My companion in the first
dance had been the young lady by whose side I had sat at dinner. But
it now became necessary to search for another, so I prudently waited
to see how partners were chosen, and made no mistake when a few
moments later I faced one of the most luscious looking senoritas on
the opposite side of the room and offered her my arm. My eyes must
have told the story that my lips could not utter in Spanish, for she
smiled upon me sweetly, arose, and put her hand upon my shoulder. My
arm encircled her waist and I began to waltz. Unfortunately my
companion did not follow, but began to hop up and down in a manner
most distressing. Supposing the attack to be only temporary, I paused
and, much to my relief, she soon showed signs of recovery; and in the
course of time she came to a standstill looking up into my face in an
inquiring sort of way, apparently wondering why St. Vitus had not paid
his respects to me also. A second attempt to follow the music met with
results similar to the first, and during the third attempt, which
seemed to be trembling on the verge of a failure, St. Vitus let go my
companion and seized me with such vigor that she, who was small even
for a Filipino, was gathered up bodily and taken around the room at
such a pace that her toes touched the floor only at far distant
intervals.

At this point my devotion to the shrine of Terpsichore ceased from
force of circumstances and I seated myself in one of the most
comfortable chairs in sight that I might carry out a previously formed
plan to study the Filipino somewhat critically as he appears in
society.

The first thing that impressed me as the dancers passed up and down
the room was the flash of diamonds. Nearly every woman in the room had
on a brooch that flashed the colors of the rainbow at every turn.
Almost all of them wore one or more rings that showed up brilliantly
under the chandelier. Many of the men too, especially the young men,
wore gems that appeared to be exquisite. A closer inspection showed
that some of the gems had flaws and others were of a poor color, but
no one would have denied that, taken as a whole, it was a really
beautiful display.

The dress of the ladies was richly colored. Many of their skirts were
of silk cove