Syd gave
her her candle, and held her little hand two seconds in his as he bid
her softly good night at the foot of the staircase.

I did not get much out of him in the balcony that night, and long after
I had turned in, I scented his Cavendish as he smoked, Heaven knows how
many pipes, in the chill December air. The next day, the 23rd, was the
night of our theatricals, which went off as dashingly as if Mr. Kean,
with his eternal "R-r-r-richard," had been there to superintend them.

All the country came; dowagers and beauties, with the odor of Belgravia
still strong about them: people not quite so high, who were not the
rose, but living near it, toadied that flower with much amusing and
undue worship; a detachment of Dragoons from the next town, whom the
girls wanted to draw, and the mammas to warn off--Dragoons being
ordinarily better waltzers than speculations; all the magnates, custos
rotulorum, sheriff, members, and magistrates--the two latter portions of
the constitution being chiefly remarkable for keenness about hunting and
turnips, and an unchristian and deadly enmity against all poachers and
vagrants; rectors, who tossed down the still Ai with Falstaff's keen
relish; other rectors, who came against their principles, but preferred
fashion to salvation, having daughters to marry and sons to start;
hunting men; girls who could waltz in a nutshell; dandies of St.
James's, and veterans of Pall-Mall, down for the Christmas; belles
renewing their London acquaintance, and recalling that "pleasant day at
Richmond." But, by Jove! if I describe all the different species
presented to view in that ball-room, I might use as many words as an old
whip giving you the genealogy of a killing pack in a flying county.

Suffice it, there they all were to criticise us, and pretty sharply I
dare say they did it, when they were out of our hearing, in their
respective clarences, broughams, dog-carts, drags, tilburies, and
hansoms. Before our faces, of course, they only clapped their snowy kid
gloves, and murmured "Bravissimo!" with an occasional "Go it, Jack!" and
"Get up the steam, old fellow!" from the young bloods in the background;
and a shower of bouquets at Cecil and Blanche from their especial
worshippers.

Blanche made the dearest little _Catherine_ that ever dressed herself up
in blue and silver, and when she drew her toy-rapier in the green-room,
asked me if I could not get her a cornetcy in ours. As for Cecil, she
played