would not be able to hold out against the advances of such
magnificoes as themselves, all night. But the Saint, Yankee Bill, and
Whangarei Jim headed a party who were all for the Auckland lady. Her
slightest wish was to them an absolute law, for that evening, at least.
They would dance with no one else, look at no one else, speak to no one
else, if this heaven-descended apparition so desired it.

Then there was a party of moderates, represented by Little'un, the
Pirate, Wolf, Dark Charlie, and the Member. These were all for a
compromise of some sort. And at last they were inspired with a plan that
seemed the best that could be done under the circumstances, and that was
finally, after much dispute, accepted as our line of action by all
parties. It was this. Each one of us was to go in rotation and to lead
out Miss Cityswell for a single dance; after that he would be free to
devote himself to all and sundry. No one was to dance with any other
until he had had his turn with the haughty Aucklander. We hoped that
such homage to her would appease her pride; while we relied on the good
sense of all the other ladies, to put our singular conduct down to a
whimsical desire on our part to pay a fanciful attention to a fair
visitor and stranger.

But there was one factor we had entirely forgotten to reckon. As we were
proceeding in a body back to the hall, we met all the Maori girls coming
out, and a high state of indignation they seemed to be in. Some
officious person had carried Miss Cityswell's dictum to their ears, and
up went all the brown noses in the air as a consequence. _They_ were not
going to stop in the hall to be grossly and gratuitously insulted! No,
thank you! If they were not good enough for Pakeha men to dance with,
they had no further business there! It was time for them to be going
home!

Here was another nice little mess. All the Maori girls, from Rakope
downwards, were as wrathful as such brown darlings could be. They would
go straight home at once, they said, and never, never again come to a
Pakeha spree! And their masculine friends were siding with them, and
already making for the boats, though, for the most part, indignantly
silent, waiting to see what we would do.

Several of the Pakeha ladies present tried to pacify the outraged Maori
feeling, but without avail. On the other hand, it appeared that Miss
Cityswell was inwardly somewhat frightened at the turn things had
taken, and at the excitement every