on an
immense scale. The children were already dancing, as well as the maids.
After we came to an end of our dance, which was what they call a
Polka-Mazourka, I saw the bride trying to screw up the courage of
_fiance_ to ask me to dance, which, after a little hesitation, he did.
And admirably he danced, as indeed they all did,--in excellent time, and
with a little more spirit than one sees in a ball-room. In fact, they
were very like one's ordinary partners, except that they wore ear-rings
and were in their shirt-sleeves, and truth compels me to state that they
decidedly smelt of garlic. Some of them had been smoking, but threw away
their cigars when we came in. The only thing that did not look cheerful
was, that the room was only lighted by two or three oil-lamps, and that
there seemed to be no preparation for refreshments. Madame B., seeing
this, whispered to her maid, who disengaged herself from her partner,
and ran off to the house; she and the kitchen-maid presently returning
with a large tray covered with all kinds of cakes, (of which we are
great consumers and always have a stock,) and a large hamper full of
bottles of wine, with coffee and sugar. This seemed all very acceptable.
The _fiancee_ was requested to distribute the eatables, and a bucket of
water being produced to wash the glasses in, the wine disappeared very
quickly,--as fast as they could open the bottles. But elated, I suppose,
by this, the floor was sprinkled with water, and the musicians played a
Monferrino, which is a Piedmontese dance. Madame B. danced with the
farmer's son, and Emily with another distinguished member of the
company. It was very fatiguing,--something like a Scotch reel. My
partner was a little man, like Pierrot, and very proud of his dancing.
He cut in the air and twisted about, until I was out of breath, though
my attempts to imitate him were feeble in the extreme. At last, after
seven or eight dances, I was obliged to sit down. We stayed till nine,
and I was so dead beat with the heat that I could hardly crawl about the
house, and in an agony with the cramp, it is so long since I have
danced."

A MARRIAGE.

"The wedding of the farmer's daughter has taken place. We had hoped it
would have been in the little chapel of our house; but it seems some
special permission was necessary, and they applied for it too late.
They all said, 'This is the Constitution. There would have been no
difficulty before!'--the lower classes making