ich the farmer's sons belong. They played really
admirably, and I began to be afraid that some idea of our dignity would
prevent me getting a partner; so, by Madame B.'s advice, I went up to the
bride, and offered to dance with her. Such a handsome young woman! Like
one of Uwins's pictures. Very dark, with a quantity of black hair, and
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 called
a Polka-Mazourka, I saw the bride trying to screw up the courage of her
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 earrings 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 kitchenmaid 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 Perrot, 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