for when he
used the former language, you might suppose (with your eyes shut) that
you were talking to a very refined gentleman, whereas, so soon as he
opened his mouth in the vernacular, the provincial Yankee stood revealed
before you. As to his other qualities and merits, he appeared to have
plenty of money, and was an excellent and indefatigable dancer.
Ashburner, when he saw him spin round morning after morning, and night
after night, till he all but melted away himself, and threatened to
drown his partner, thought he must have the laudable motive of wishing
to reduce his bulk, which, however, continued undiminished.
Notwithstanding his travels and accomplishments, which, especially the
dancing, were sufficient to give him a passport to the best society,
there were some who regarded him with very unfavorable eyes, more
particularly Sumner and Benson. Supposing this to be merely another of
the frivolous feuds that existed in the place, and among "our set,"
Ashburner was not over-anxious or curious to know the cause of it. Nor,
if he had been, did the parties seem disposed to afford him much
information. Benson had, indeed, observed one day, that _that_ Storey
Hunter was the greatest blackguard in Oldport, except _The Sewer_
reporters; but as he had already said the same thing of half-a-dozen
men, his friend was not deterred thereby from making Hunter's
acquaintance--or rather, from accepting it; the difficulty at Oldport
being, _not_ to make the acquaintance of any man in society. And he
found the fat dandy, to all appearance, an innocent and good-natured
person, rather childish for his years, and well illustrating Harrison's
assertion, that the men in fashionable life rather retrograded than
developed from twenty to forty; but in no apparent respect formidable,
save for a more than American tendency to gossip. He had some story to
the prejudice of every one, but seemed to tell all these stories just as
an _enfant terrible_ might, without fully understanding them, or at all
heeding the possible consequences of repeating them.

The glory of the balls had departed with Edwards and the Robinsons, but
the remaining fashionables kept up their amusement with much vigor; and
the absence of the others, though detracting much from the brilliancy of
the place, was in some respects the gain of a loss. White came out in
all his glory now that most of the young men were gone. With his
graceful figure, neat dress, and ever-ready