re might have been inconveniences.
Faster it grew and faster; but still they had all done it before, and
done it with absolute accuracy. It was now near the end. Each lady had
waltzed a turn with each gentleman. Lady George had been passed on from
the Count to Sir Harry, and from Sir Harry to Lord Giblet. After her
turn it was his lordship's duty to deliver her up to her partner, with
whom she would make a final turn round the dancing space; and then the
Kappa-kappa would have been danced. But alas! as Lord Giblet was doing
this he lost his head and came against the Count and Madame Gigi. Lady
George was almost thrown to the ground, but was caught by the Captain,
who had just parted with Lady Florence to Sir Harry. But poor Mary had
been almost on the floor, and could hardly have been saved without
something approaching to the violence of an embrace.

Lord George had come into the room very shortly after the Kappa-kappa
had been commenced, but had not at once been able to get near the
dancers. Gradually he worked his way through the throng, and when he
first saw the performers could not tell who was his wife's partner. She
was then waltzing backwards with Count Costi; and he, though he hated
waltzing, and considered the sin to be greatly aggravated by the
backward movement, and though he hated Counts, was still somewhat
pacified. He had heard since he was in the room how the partners were
arranged, and had thought that his wife had deceived him. The first
glance was reassuring. But Mary soon returned to her real partner; and
he slowly ascertained that she was in very truth waltzing with Captain
De Baron. He stood there, a little behind the first row of spectators,
never for a moment seen by his wife, but able himself to see
everything, with a brow becoming every moment blacker and blacker. To
him the exhibition was in every respect objectionable. The brightness
of the apparel of the dancers was in itself offensive to him. The
approach that had been made to the garishness of a theatrical
performance made the whole thing, in his eyes, unfit for modest
society. But that his wife should be one of the performers, that she
should be gazed at by a crowd as she tripped about, and that, after all
that had been said, she should be tripping in the arms of Captain De
Baron, was almost more than he could endure. Close to him, but a little
behind, stood the Dean, thoroughly enjoying all that he saw. It was to
him a delight that there