respect which I
undoubtedly bore him?

The quadrille ended, Sonetchka said, "Thank you," with as lovely an
expression on her face as though I had really conferred, upon her a
favour. I was delighted. In fact I hardly knew myself for joy and could
not think whence I derived such case and confidence and even daring.

"Nothing in the world can abash me now," I thought as I wandered
carelessly about the salon. "I am ready for anything."

Just then Seriosha came and requested me to be his vis-a-vis.

"Very well," I said. "I have no partner as yet, but I can soon find
one."

Glancing round the salon with a confident eye, I saw that every lady was
engaged save one--a tall girl standing near the drawing-room door. Yet a
grown-up young man was approaching her-probably for the same purpose as
myself! He was but two steps from her, while I was at the further end
of the salon. Doing a glissade over the polished floor, I covered the
intervening space, and in a brave, firm voice asked the favour of her
hand in the quadrille. Smiling with a protecting air, the young lady
accorded me her hand, and the tall young man was left without a partner.
I felt so conscious of my strength that I paid no attention to his
irritation, though I learnt later that he had asked somebody who the
awkward, untidy boy was who, had taken away his lady from him.

XXII -- THE MAZURKA

AFTERWARDS the same young man formed one of the first couple in a
mazurka. He sprang to his feet, took his partner's hand, and then,
instead of executing the pas de Basques which Mimi had taught us, glided
forward till he arrived at a corner of the room, stopped, divided his
feet, turned on his heels, and, with a spring, glided back again. I, who
had found no partner for this particular dance and was sitting on the
arm of Grandmamma's chair, thought to myself:

"What on earth is he doing? That is not what Mimi taught us. And there
are the Iwins and Etienne all dancing in the same way-without the pas de
Basques! Ah! and there is Woloda too! He too is adopting the new style,
and not so badly either. And there is Sonetchka, the lovely one! Yes,
there she comes!" I felt immensely happy at that moment.

The mazurka came to an end, and already some of the guests were saying
good-bye to Grandmamma. She was evidently tired, yet she assured them
that she felt vexed at their early departure. Servants were gliding
about with plates and trays among the dancers, and the musici