THE FIRST BALL IN TOWN. 269 



waltzes and polkas, now so universally adopted, tends to great 

 laxity of manners, and of morals also. Human nature is ever 

 prone to evil, and needs no excitement to vice ; the difficulty is 

 to check these inclinations. But in the cases alluded to, as if 

 natural passions were not strong enough and hard enough to 

 subdue, additional incitements are added. Modesty is like the 

 fresh bloom on a plum, which, when once rubbed off, never 

 returns. 



Blanche and Constance, when they had retired to their 

 rooms at night, although delighted with the orchestra and the 

 singing of Grisi and Lablache, could not repress their feelings 

 of repugnance to the ballet, and Constance resolved to entreat 

 Malcolm to spare them both the repetition of such a scene. 

 The next night there was a ball at the Countess of Am more' s, 

 in the same square, for which Lady Malcolm, in anticipation of 

 her niece's arrival in town, had accepted cards of invitation 

 some time previously. Lady Arnmore being still young and 

 handsome, although arrived at that time of life when ladies 

 will not confess to their age, was one of the leaders of haul 

 ton, and her parties, therefore, quite recherches, which will 

 account for her rooms being most inconveniently crowded on 

 this occasion, so that the dancers had scarcely sufficient space to 

 glide through the figures of a quadrille. 



The first person to accost Blanche on her entering the room 

 was Lord Danby, who engaged her for the first dance, and 

 begged Lady Malcolm to allow him to introduce his mother, 



the Duchess of B , to herself and Miss Douglas, which was, 



of course, gladly acceded to. Blanche's natural timidity was 

 considerably increased on finding herself among a set of perfect 

 strangers, and it must be confessed she would have gladly pre- 

 ferred being a looker-on instead of being looked at ; but having 

 no excuse to refuse Lord Danby, she was obliged, though 

 most reluctantly, to take her place in the dance, and to be 

 stared at and pulled to pieces by the other young ladies who 

 entertained certain views of conquest over her highly favoured 

 partner. 



" Who is that timid-looking creature dancing with Danby V 1 

 asked Lady Fanny Trimmer of her partner, Lord Henry 

 Bayntun. 



" Miss Douglas, Lady Malcolm's niece, and an heiress with 

 ten thousand a year." 



" Oh, indeed ! then Danby has turned fortune-hunter, I 

 suppose 1 " 



