notice of it in consideration of my youth, and he
turned his back. Very well! The unfortunate Laendler came to an end. I
did not dance any more, I went into the ante-room, and who should
follow me but the good Cochenille, who at once opened a bottle of
champagne for me. The wine sent fresh life into my veins. I didn't feel
the pain any longer. The '_seize_' was just going to begin--I flew back
to the dancing-room, darted up to Victorine, kissed her hand fiercely,
and took my position in the 'ronde.' The 'tour,' which I have told you
of, came on; I outdid myself! I hovered--I balanced--the God of the
dance in person; I threw my arm round my partner. I whispered, 'Divine,
heavenly Countess,' just as I had arranged with myself that I should
do. My declaration of love went forth from my lips, I gazed ardently
into my partner's eyes. Ruler of heaven! It was not Victorine I had
been dancing with! It was somebody else altogether, some lady whom I
didn't know in the least, though she was the same sort of person as
Victorine in style and feature, and dressed exactly as she was. You may
imagine that I felt as if smitten by a flash of lightning. Everything
about me was swimming in a chaos. I didn't hear the music any longer; I
dashed wildly through amongst the rows of people, hearing cries of pain
here and there, till I found myself arrested and held tight by a pair
of powerful arms, whilst a voice of fury droned into my ear, 'Death and
damnation, Herr Baron, are you out of your senses? Have you nine devils
in you, or what?' 'Twas the very Consistorial President whom I had seen
in my dream. He was holding me tight in a remote corner of the room,
and he went on as follows: 'I was just getting up from the card-table,
when you came bursting like a hurricane out of the middle of the
dancing room, and jumped about like a creature possessed upon my
unfortunate feet, till I could have roared like a bull with the pain of
it, if I hadn't been a person of proper conduct. Don't you see what a
disturbance you've been making here?' And, in fact, the whole of the
'_seize_' was in confusion, the music had stopped, and I saw that some
of the dancers were going about limping, ladies were being led to their
seats, and people were holding smelling-bottles to their noses. I had
been dancing the 'tour' of despair upon the poor people's feet, till
the President, strong as a tree, had put a period to my fell career.
Victorine approached me with eyes spark