126 A BALL ROOM, AND A BELLE. 



*' In which a ray 

 Of the enamored sun had lost its way," 



was soon obliterated by the wreathed smiles and elo- 

 quent floating glances of the siren Cheshire. 



Men came up too, and gathered around the sisters, 

 and all that inimitable grace of frank, natural, unre- 

 strained mirth and merriment, and quip and epigram, 

 unattainable except by the highly cultivated, flashed 

 round him. He was enchanted by the brilliancy of 

 all about him, and, drinking in the inspiration, was not 

 himself the least brilliant of the group. 



Suddenly looking up in his face, the dark enchan- 

 tress over whom he was leaning, dazzled and en- 

 chanted, but not touched, said with afi"ected innocence, 

 ^'but why do you loiter here with us matrons, as they 

 call us ; why are not you dancing with some of our 

 blue-eyed belles ; you ought to swear by blue eyes for 

 the contrast's sake. Do you never dance. Colonel 

 Fairfax ?" 



" Never, unless it be the war-dance with my tribe, 

 as Lord Jardinier will have it. But I will try, if you 

 will help me." 



"• I'll help you to do any thing ; but I'm mistakefn 

 if you are not pretty good at helping yourself, sir." 



So she laid her little white gloved-hand on the right 

 shoulder of his black coat, and yielding her waist to 

 his arm stepped forward to join the galloppade, the 

 performers in which were standing just in front of 

 them. And, as they waited for their turn, he was im- 

 pressing on her mind with earnest words how intensely 

 he admired black eyes and sparkling brunettes, and 

 how insipid he thought all blondes and all blue eyes, 

 when he suddenly lifted his own eyes from the espiegle 

 face beside him ; and there close before him, almost in 

 contact with liis partner, were the beautiful shoulders, 

 and voluptuous figure, the snow-white neck and golden 

 ringlets of the unknown. She was just moving for- 



