On entering the dancing-hall, therefore, the greater portion of the young people prepared to enjoy the evening in dancing; but here again an obstacle presented itself: the bandsmen had taken alarm from the action of the caterer, and they refused to play unless their account was settled. Not a note would they sound until their demands were satisfied, and so the gentlemen contributed, jointly, enough to pay them in full also. The troubles and annoyances of the later portion of the fête were soon forgotten by the greater number of the butterflies who formed the assembly, and as they floated off to the strains of a beautiful waltz, they unanimously decided to spend the evening in a delightful dance.
Meantime, however, many of the more staid and elderly guests, having decided to go home immediately after dinner, had gone down to the steamboat landing to embark. To their astonishment they saw the steamer tied up on the opposite shore, her lights being just visible across the water. After various attempts to hail her, a reply was heard from a small boat, which contained the captain. He pulled in near the shore, and Judge Morgan, in an important tone, ordered him to bring his steamer across the river and convey a party back to Gloster.
"But who is going to pay me for the use of my steamer all day?" asked the captain, resting on his oars, within easy talking distance of the shore. Alas! he, also, had determined to follow the example of the caterer, and demand payment for his services before admitting the excursionists on board his steamer.
"Pay you" exclaimed the horrified Ethan Allen Benson, who had paid so much for his dinner that his miserly soul was already repenting having come; "why, Don Pedro will pay you, of course."
"Well, I'd like to see him, then," said the captain.
An exciting conversation then ensued between the indignant would-be passengers and the captain of the steamer. The latter, however, had all the advantage, for he knew the masqueraders must eventually come to his terms.
"What do you mean by refusing to take us on board?" demanded Deacon Humphrey, furiously. "Don't you know that we can't stay here all night?"
"I presume not," said the captain, "and I don't suppose you will do so; but I must have payment for the use of my steamer. You can pay me in one sum by a check, or you can pay me at the rate of three dollars a head: I don't care which you choose, only I must be paid."
The altercation continued at some length, and eventually the captain said that he could not afford to waste coal in keeping steam up, and if they did not agree to his terms, he would haul fires and let his steamer stay where she was all night. This threat brought the party to his terms, and he was ordered to bring his steamer over. He refused to make more than one trip, however, and so the dancers were called away from the ballroom at the end of the first waltz, thus spoiling their gayety almost ere it had begun. As the motley groups gathered on shore awaiting the steamer's approach, a more deeply disgusted and indignant assemblage was never known in the annals of good society, and curses, both openly and inwardly expressed against the Don, were numerous and bitter. As they passed over the gangway, the captain and clerk were at hand to collect fares, and no one was allowed to pass without paying cash or giving a check for the amount, indorsed by some well-known man of wealth and position. Finally, the whole sorrowful party was embarked, and the steamer turned her head toward Gloster. The excitement and continuous dancing, which most of those on board had indulged in during the day, had left them in a state of nervous and physical fatigue little calculated to improve their spirits, while the financial losses of many were matters of an intensely depressing influence upon them. A more ill-tempered, disappointed, and irritable cargo cannot be imagined. Their troubles were not ended even on their arrival at the wharf in Gloster, for, being so much earlier in returning than they had expected, no carriages were in attendance, and the ladies were obliged to wait on board while their escorts went to the livery stables to order carriages to take them home.
