her, as it were one whose brain was of
the quietest and his conscience the most peaceful.

CHAPTER VI

"FRUITS PREMATURELY RIPE"

At first I was invited to my P. C. uncle's every Sunday to dinner: later
I went without invitation. As soon as I was let out of school, I
hastened thither. I persuaded myself that I went to visit my brother. I
found an excuse, too, in the idea that I must make progress in art, and
that it was in any case an excellent use of time, and a very good
"entree" to art, if I played waltzes and quadrilles of an afternoon from
five to eight on the violin to Melanie's accompaniment on the piano,
while the rest of the company danced to our music.

For the Balnokhazys had company every day. Such a change of faces that I
could scarcely remember who and what they all were. Gay young men and
ladies they were, who loved to enjoy themselves: every day there was a
dance there.

Sometimes others would change places with Melanie at the piano: a piece
of good fortune for me, for she was able to then have a dance--with me.

I have never seen any one dance more beautifully than she; she fluttered
above the floor, and could make the waltz more agreeable than any one
else before or after her. That was my favorite dance. I was exclusively
by her side at such times, and we could not gaze except into each
other's eyes. I did not like the quadrille so well: in that one is
always taking the hands of different persons, and changing partners; and
what interest had I in those other lady-dancers?

And I thought Melanie, too, rejoiced at the same thing that pleased me.

And, if by chance--a very rare event--the P. C. had no company, we still
had our dance. There were always two gentlemen and two lady dancers in
the house party; the beautiful wife of the P. C. and Frauelein Matild,
the governess: Lorand and Pepi[40] Gyali.

[Footnote 40: A nickname for Joseph.]

Pepi was the son of a court agent at Vienna, and his father was a very
good friend of Balnokhazy; his mother had once been ballet-dancer at the
Vienna opera--a fact I only learned later.

Pepi was a handsome young fellow "en miniature;" he was a member of the
same class as Lorand, a law student in the first year, yet he was no
taller than I. Every feature of his face was fine and tender, his mouth,
small, like that of a girl, yet never in all my life have I met one
capable of such backbiting as was he with his pretty mouth.

How I envied that little