130 A BALL ROOM, AND A BELLE. 



" Who can admire any one, when he is at year foot* 

 stool ?" 



" Too late ! false knight, too late," she cried, laugh- 

 ing merrily. "Had you said that ten minutes ago, 

 you might have deluded poor little me — who knows ? 

 by your soft nonsense. But now it is too late. Never 

 try that again with me, I warn you, on your alle- 

 giance;" and she shook her finger at him in sportive 

 menace. 



Meanwhile the beautiful unknown was passing close 

 before them. Her eyes had met the fiery glance of 

 Fairfax rivetted upon her, though he lowered his the 

 moment they encountered. From the roots of her 

 hair to the top of her boddice, brow, cheeks, neck, 

 bosom, she flushed crimson, nay ! her shoulders 

 blushed, and her arms to the fingers' end, painfully. 

 Her eyes sank to the ground and she trembled, to 

 Lady Cheshire's observant glance visibly, as she went 

 by. She thought herself, perhaps, avoided, slighted, 

 her thanks rejected, and the married brunette preferred 

 before her. Could it be so? It might— women are 

 singularly constituted creatures, and love to be lo\^d 

 even where they love not themselves — and are vexed 

 often to see other women admired by whom they care 

 not to be admired themselves. Was this so now ?" 



"Now, Colonel Fairfax, I insist upon it — I will in- 

 troduce you. She is a beautiful girl, as any one must 

 be blind not to see ; and as good a little girl as ever 

 lived, and the greatest pet at Melton. And it is really 

 too absurd that two great grown up people, like you, 

 should be making petite mine; she blushing to her fin- 

 gers from real shame, and vexation that you could not 

 see and acknowledge her pretty curtsy and mille 

 graces ! and you affecting — for of course in you it is 

 the merest affectation — to be very bashful and re- 

 tiring all on a sudden. I don't believe you were ever 

 ashamed or bashful in your life, mon Colonel, moro 



