ully wrong. Do you, Miss Winn?"

"No, indeed. When I was a child in England we went out and danced on the
green. Everybody did. And when there were doings at the great
houses--like Christmas, and weddings, and coming of age--the ladies, in
their silks and satins and laces, came down in the servants' hall and
danced with the butler and the footmen, and my lord took out some of the
maids. I don't think dancing hurts any one."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Miss Winn. They are talking of having a
dancing-class in school. I hope mother will let me join it."

"And they teach it in schools there."

"And why shouldn't they here?" said Polly.

To be sure. Cynthia was much interested and made Polly promise to come
again and tell her all about it. Old Salem was awakening rapidly from
her rigid torpor.

"I wonder if I could ever have a party," she said to Cousin Leverett
that evening. "When father comes home we might have what they did at the
Perkinses when they went in their new place--a house-warming. Is that
like a party?"

"About the same thing."

"Cousin Elizabeth thinks it wicked. Wouldn't she think dancing wicked?"

"I am afraid she would."

Cynthia sighed. No, she couldn't have a party here.

She waited quite eagerly for Polly's account. The little girl was in her
own room. Miss Winn had gone out to get some medicine. Cynthia tried to
be well sometimes, so she would not have to take the nauseous stuff. No
one had invented medicated sugar pills at that time. She liked Cousin
Elizabeth's cough syrup.

Polly was overflowing with spirits.

"Oh, I want to be big, right away. Bella Saltonstall was there and she's
going into company next winter, she says. And she showed us some of the
dancing steps and they just bewitch you. It's like this"--and Polly
picked up her frock in a dainty manner and whirled about the vacant
spaces in the room.

"But doesn't it tire you dreadfully? The girls in India stand still a
great deal more and just sway about. They come in and dance for you."

"Tire you! Oh, no. That's the great fun, to do it yourself. Bella said
it was--ex--something, and the word is in the spelling-book, but I never
can remember the long words. Oh, I just wish I was fifteen and wasn't
going to school any more. And then there's keeping company and getting
married, and having your setting out. School seems stupid. There were
two boys who wanted to come home with me, but mother said Ben must. Then
I wished--we