tresses, of fair rounded arms and fairy feet, with stray
syllables that linger on the ear and vibrate in the heart for many a
long year to come.

It would have been difficult to imagine that one, even one, amid that
gorgeous throng, had any other thought than pleasure, so headlong seemed
the impulse of enjoyment.' In vain the moralist might have searched for
any trace of that care which is believed to be the unceasing burden of
humanity. Even upon those who sustained no portion of the brilliancy
around them, pleasure had set its seal. Lady Janet herself wondered, and
admired, and stared, in an ecstasy of delight she could neither credit
nor comprehend. It was true, Linton's absence--"unaccountable," as she
called it--was a sad drawback upon her enjoyment. Yet her own shrewdness
enabled her to penetrate many a mystery, and detect beneath the dusky
folds of more than one domino those who a few moments previous had
displayed themselves in all the splendor of a gorgeous costume.

In vain did Lord Charles Frobisher cover his Tartar dress with a
Laplander's cloak and hood, to follow Miss Meek unnoticed. In vain
did Upton abandon his royalty as Henry IV. for a Dominican's cowl, the
better to approach a certain fair nun with dark blue eyes; Lady Janet
whispered, "Take care, Olivia," as she passed her. Even Mrs. Leicester
White, admirably disguised as a Gypsy Fortune-teller, did not dare
to speculate upon Lady Janet's "future"--possibly, out of fear of her
"present." Mr. Howie alone escaped detection, as, dressed to represent
the Obelisk of the "Luqsor," he stood immovable in the middle of the
room, listening to everybody, and never supposed to be anything but an
inanimate ornament of the saloon.

It was only when a minuet was about to be formed, and a question arose
as to whether the obelisk could not be removed, that the Egyptian
monument was seen slowly sidling off amidst the company, to the great
amusement of all who had not opened their confidences beneath its
shadow. For an instant, the laughter that circulated in many a distant
group was directed to this quarter, and bursts of merriment were excited
by the absurdity of the incident. With that mysterious instinct by which
moods of joy or grief are perpetuated from heart to heart, till each
in a crowded assembly is moved as is his neighbor, the whole room shook
with convulsive laughter. It was just then--at the very moment when
boundless pleasure filled every avenue of f