“Come, don't be crabbed, Vernor; young people ought to enjoy themselves; recollect, we were young ourselves once!”
“If old Time had dealt as leniently by me as he seems to have done by you, Coleman, I should consider myself young yet,” replied Mr. Vernor. “I believe I have spoken my ward's wishes upon this point; but, if it would be more satisfactory to your friend to hear her decision from her own lips I can have no objection.—Clara, my dear, this gentleman, Mr. Fairlegh, does you the honour of wishing to waltz with you.”
Thus accosted, Miss Saville raised her eyes to my face for a moment, and, instantly casting them down again, coloured slightly, as she replied: “If Mr. Fairlegh will excuse me, I had rather not waltz”.
I could, of course, only bow in acquiescence, and was turning away, when old Mr. Coleman stopped me with:—
“There, wait a minute, Mr. Fairlegh; my little niece, Lucy Markham, will be only too glad to console you for your disappointment; she's never so happy as when she's waltzing”.
“If you are impertinent, uncle, I'll make you waltz with me till you're quite tired, by way of punishment!” replied his niece, as she accepted my proffered arm.
During a pause in the waltz I referred to the refusal just received, and asked my partner (a lively little brunette, with very white teeth and a bewitching smile) whether her friend Miss Saville were not somewhat of a prude?
“Poor dear Clara—a prude?—oh no!” was the reply. “You mean because she would not waltz, I suppose?”
I bowed my head in assent, and she continued:—
“I gave you credit for more penetration, Mr. Fairlegh; did you not see it was all that horrible Mr. Vernor, her guardian?—he chose her not to waltz; and she is too much afraid of him to dare to do anything he does not approve;—he would hardly let her come here to-night, only Uncle Coleman worried him into it”.