There was no disobeying her, without rudeness; and
indeed the girls’ feet were already jigging;
and Lizzie giving herself wonderful airs with a roll
of learned music; and even while Annie was doing my
collop, her pretty round instep was arching itself,
as I could see from the parlour-door. So I took
little Ruth, and I spun her around, as the sound of
the music came lively and ringing; and after us came
all the rest with much laughter, begging me not to
jump over her; and anon my grave partner began to
smile sweetly, and look up at me with the brightest
of eyes, and drop me the prettiest curtseys; till
I thought what a great stupe I must have been to dream
of putting her in the cheese-rack. But one thing
I could not at all understand; why mother, who used
to do all in her power to throw me across Sally Snowe,
should now do the very opposite; for she would not
allow me one moment with Sally, not even to cross
in the dance, or whisper, or go anywhere near a corner
(which as I said, I intended to do, just by way of
practice), while she kept me, all the evening, as
close as possible with Ruth Huckaback, and came up
and praised me so to Ruth, times and again, that I
declare I was quite ashamed. Although of course
I knew that I deserved it all, but I could not well
say that.
Then Annie came sailing down the dance, with her beautiful
hair flowing round her; the lightest figure in all
the room, and the sweetest, and the loveliest.
She was blushing, with her fair cheeks red beneath
her dear blue eyes, as she met my glance of surprise
and grief at the partner she was leaning on.
It was Squire Marwood de Whichehalse. I would
sooner have seen her with Tom Faggus, as indeed I had
expected, when I heard of Parson Bowden. And
to me it seemed that she had no right to be dancing
so with any other; and to this effect I contrived to
whisper; but she only said, “See to yourself,
John. No, but let us both enjoy ourselves.
You are not dancing with Lorna, John. But you
seem uncommonly happy.”
“Tush,” I said; “could I flip about
so, if I had my love with me?”
CHAPTER XXXI
JOHN FRY’S ERRAND
[Illustration: 256.jpg Illustrated Capital]
We kept up the dance very late that night, mother
being in such wonderful spirits, that she would not
hear of our going to bed: while she glanced from
young Squire Marwood, very deep in his talk with our
Annie, to me and Ruth Huckaback who were beginning
to be very pleasant company. Alas, poor mother,
so proud as she was, how little she dreamed that her
good schemes already were hopelessly going awry!
Being forced to be up before daylight next day, in
order to begin right early, I would not go to my bedroom
that night for fear of disturbing my mother, but determined
to sleep in the tallat awhile, that place being cool,
and airy, and refreshing with the smell of sweet hay.
Moreover, after my dwelling in town, where I had felt
like a horse on a lime-kiln, I could not for a length
of time have enough of country life. The mooing
of a calf was music, and the chuckle of a fowl was
wit, and the snore of the horses was news to me.
