CHAPTER XXI.
The Dance in Scotland.—Reels and Highland Schottische.—Is Dancing a Sin?—Dances of Antiquity.—There is no Dancing now.
eople do not dance now—in drawing-rooms at least—they walk, says M. Ratisbonne.
In Scotland, however, people still dance.
The Scotch have preserved the primitive, innocent, pastoral character of this exercise.
Nothing is more graceful than the reel and schottische of the Highlands.
The reel demands great agility. Two swords are placed crosswise on the ground and, to the sound of bagpipes, Donald executes double and triple pirouettes in and out, carefully avoiding the weapons.
Ask me how Society dances in Scotland and I will answer: just as it does elsewhere, but with a gravity that would do honour to our senators.