ch his brows were curved
heavily; "he does not dance nor ride; he only looks on."

"He reads," said Mr. Derwentwater. "The boy will be a great scholar if
he keeps it up."

"One cannot read in society," said Bice. "Now, you must remember, you go
_that_ way; you do not come after me."

"I should prefer to come after you. That is the heavenly way when one
can follow such a leader. You remember what your own Dante----"

"Oh!" murmured Bice, with a long sigh of impatience, "I have no Dante. I
have a partner who will not give himself the pains--Now," she said, with
an emphatic little pat of her foot and movement of her hands. Her soul
was in the dance, though it was only the Lancers. With a slight line of
annoyance upon her forehead she watched his performance, taking upon
herself the responsibility, pushing him by his elbow when he went wrong,
or leading him in the right way. Mr. Derwentwater had thought to carry
off his mistakes with a laugh, but this was not Bice's way of thinking.
She made him a little speech when the dance was over.

"I think you are a great scholar too," she said; "but it will be well
that you should not come forward again with a lady to dance the Lancers,
for you cannot do it. And that will sometimes make a girl to have the
air of being also awkward, which is not just."

Mr. Derwentwater grew very red while this speech was making to him. He
was a man of great and varied attainments, and had any one told him that
he would blush about so trivial a matter as a Lancers----! But he grew
very red and almost stammered as he said with humility, "I am afraid I
am very deficient, but with you to guide me--Signorina, there is one
divine hour which I never forget--when you sang that evening. May I
call? May I see you for half an hour to-morrow?"

"Oh," said Bice, with a deep-drawn breath, "here is some one else coming
who does not dance very well! Talk to him about the Greek, and Lord
Montjoie will take me. To-morrow! oh yes, with pleasure," she said as
she took Montjoie's arm and darted away into the crowd. Montjoie was
all glowing and radiant with pride and joy.

"I thought I'd hang off and on and take my chance, don't you know? I
thought you'd soon get sick of that sort. You and I go together like two
birds. I have been watching you all this time, you and old Derwentwater.
What was that he said about to-morrow? I want to talk about to-morrow
too--unless, indeed to-night----"

"Oh, Lord Montjoie," crie