hat she intends to stand up for this dance. And
one of the rights of a gentleman is to take a lady at her word."

"Really, Mrs. Cornbury, you are down upon one so hard."

"Rachel," said she, "would you mind coming across the room with me?
There are seats on the sofa on the other side." Then Mrs. Cornbury
sailed across the floor, and Rachel crept after her more dismayed
than ever. Mr. Griggs the while stood transfixed to his place,
stroking his mustaches with his hand, and showing plainly by his
countenance that he didn't know what he ought to do next. "Well,
that's cool," said he; "confounded cool!"

"Anything wrong, Griggs, my boy?" said a bank clerk, slapping him on
the back.

"I call it very wrong; very wrong, indeed," said Griggs; "but people
do give themselves such airs! Miss Cherry, may I have the honour of
waltzing with you?"

"Certainly not," said Cherry, who was passing by. Then Mr. Griggs
made his way back to the door.

Rachel felt that things were going wrong with her. It had so happened
that she had parted on bad terms with three gentlemen. She had
offended Mr. Cornbury and Mr. Griggs, and had done her best to make
Mr. Rowan understand that he had offended her! She conceived that
all the room would know of it, and that Mrs. Cornbury would become
ashamed of her. That Mrs. Tappitt was already very angry with her she
was quite sure. She wished she had not come to the ball, and began
to think that perhaps her sister might be right. It almost seemed to
herself that she had not known how to behave herself. For a short
time she had been happy,--very happy; but she feared that she had
in some way committed herself during the moments of her happiness.
"I hope you are not angry with me," she said, "about Mr. Griggs?"
appealing to her friend in a plaintive voice.

"Angry!--oh dear, no. Why should I be angry with you? I should be
angry with that man, only I'm a person that never gets angry with
anybody. You were quite right not to dance with him. Never be made
to dance with any man you don't like; and remember that a young lady
should always have her own way in a ball-room. She doesn't get much
of it anywhere else; does she, my dear? And now I'll go whenever you
like it, but I'm not the least in a hurry. You're the young lady, and
you're to have your own way. If you're quite in earnest, I'll get
some one to order the carriage."--Rachel said that she was quite
in earnest, and then Walter was called. "So you're g