lord Ayrshire's importunity rebuffed. 321 



have made a rule, my lord, never to dance twice on the same 

 night with any partner." 



"There are exceptions to all general rules, Miss Douglas, and 

 I hope you will permit me to claim the privilege of being an 

 exception to yours." 



" I am sorry, my lord, I cannot grant you that privilege," 

 was the reply. 



" Then do you really never make any exception to this rigid 

 rule ? " 



tt Yery rarely, and only in favour of very old friends." 



" Of whom, Miss Douglas, I conceive you must know very 

 few who would be likely to ask for your hand in a ball-room." 



" Whether few or many," replied Blanche, highly offended, 

 "the Marquis of Ayrshire has not been known to me long 

 enough to be included in that number." 



"I beg a thousand pardons for giving this unintentional 

 offence, but my meaning was that very old people are not gene- 

 rally very partial to dancing." 



" And yet, my lord, my very old friends need not necessarily 

 be very old persons ; for instance, my cousin Malcolm, who is 

 only a few years older than myself ; but having known him from 

 childhood, he is one of my very oldest friends." 



" I stand corrected, Miss Douglas, for my futile attempt at 

 jocularity, which appears to have been exceedingly ill-timed; but, 

 believe me, no reflection whatever was intended on your friends." 



Blanche made no reply, and Lord Ayrshire puzzled his brain 

 in vain to account for her unexpected transition from light good 

 humour to grave formality. But the dance being concluded, 

 he was obliged to resign her hand without the opportunity of 

 obtaining any further elucidation. 



On entering the room that night, Selina Markham had sug- 

 gested that they should sit through one quadrille together to 

 have a chat, to which Blanche assented. " You are almost 

 danced off your legs, my dear, and were I in your place, I would 

 see half these fine fellows smothered in the Serpentine mud 

 before I would fag myself to death by accepting them for part- 

 ners, night after night, as you do. So hold yourself engaged to 

 me — as I have a little bit of gossip to talk about — for one 

 quadrille." 



" Won't it look very strange, Selina, for us both to be sitting 

 together ?" 



"Not in the least, my dear, only missed our partners, or they 



"les 

 u 



missed us — nothing more common in such crowds as these." 



