I was quite glad when
Mr. Thorold came and carried me off. The second quadrille went
better than the first; and I was enjoying myself unfeignedly,
when in a pause of the dance I remarked to my partner that
there seemed to be plenty of ladies here to-night.
"Plenty," he said. "It is very kind of them. What then?"
"Only —" I said — "so many people came and asked me to dance
in the few minutes I stood by Mrs. Sandford, and one of them
looked quite disappointed that he could not have me."
I was met by a look of the keenest inquiry, followed instantly
and superseded by another flash of expression. I could not
comprehend it at the time. The eyes, which had startled me by
their steely gleam, softened wonderfully with what looked like
nothing so much as reverence, along with some other expression
which I could neither read at the moment nor fathom
afterwards.
Both looks were gone before I could ask him what they meant,
or perhaps I should have asked; for I was beginning to feel
very much at my ease with Mr.
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