ing at Mr. Hoy, who dances upon his heels, as though
enamoured of his large feet, and afraid of knocking his head against the
chandelier. Their _vis-a-vis_ is a lively lady, apparently taking stock
of a _bouquet_, but, in reality, joking an absent gentleman,
opposite:--it is Miss Gay, whom Lark (her partner) is making laugh, by
observing--the gentleman is not so _absent_ as he ought to be; causing
that lady to forget herself--making many mistakes and false starts;
which, being those of a person who knew better, were very diverting.
Miss Gay is voluble as volatile, no subject coming amiss--she is now
speculating as to how far the gentlemen will permit the buttons to
travel down their backs, or their skirts to be curtailed; and Mr. Lark,
unable to find a reason, must get up a contrary supposition--imagining
some middle-aged ladies to resemble a cork-screw, as they have at
different periods shifted the waist from the armpits downward;--_waists_
making us think of the short lady (in this set) with a very long
one--Miss Price, only child of Alderman Price, chandler and dry-salter,
of Candlewick ward--daughter and _hair_, as Mr. Lark jocosely observed,
in allusion to the luxuriant red tresses of that lady;--saying her papa
was the great crony of Sir Rich. Big, the free vintner, late of
Portsoken ward, who was found, or rather not found--having evaporated of
spontaneous combustion, before he could get to the civic chair,--leaving
all his money to Price; who has retired, with his fat and the gout, to
Bayswater. Miss Price is a lovely dancer, appearing hollow (a thing Miss
Gay did not doubt), like an India rubber ball in flounces; she is said
to have a beautiful hand, so small as to require only No. 6. gloves--as
if a pigmy hand could not be a deformity. She is invited, in a hope that
young Brown may make her a partner, for the dance of life; and is said
to be worth L150,000--not by the pound weight, as the envious Miss Gay
hinted.--No! No! naughty Miss Gay, be satisfied with Nature's gifts, and
do not covet lucre.

Here comes young Brown, who has not danced before, to make arrangements
with Miss Gay, who has--and proved herself the _belle_ of the
room;--but, as gentlemen are now in the minority, she does not hint at
being "engaged for the next," or propose "the one after."

There is a temporary lull, after the dance:--and in comes Captain de
Camp, looking like a macaw in a dress-coat, leading Lady Lucretia de
Camp, who resembl