while under her charge at a ball, and if amongst her own
friends and acquaintances she cannot find partners for her, she would
prefer that she spent a comparatively dull evening than that she should
run the risk of forming undesirable acquaintances.

Young ladies have not always the discretion possessed by their elders,
or sufficient knowledge of the world to do the right thing. Thus, some
young ladies would either coldly decline the introductions, or if the
introductions were made, would as coldly decline to dance, whilst
others, anxious to dance, would accept both the introductions and the
partners, and take their chance as to whether their brothers would like
to see them dancing with strangers thus introduced. A steward himself
particularly dislikes to be made responsible for a man he does not know;
and whether a chaperon and a young lady are old friends of his, or
whether they are merely new acquaintances, they equally trust to his
not introducing men to them whom they would not care to know, and of
whom he knows nothing save that they have solicited an introduction to
them.

Very few stewards care to accost a lady whom they merely know by sight
and by name for the purpose of introducing a stranger; they prefer to
decline to make the introduction, on the plea of not having the honour
of the lady's acquaintance.

Stewards consider that the position of a young man must be a peculiar
one, and his presence at a ball somewhat of an anomaly, if he does not
possess an acquaintance in the room, through whom he can become known to
one or other of the stewards, or through whom he can be introduced to
any particular lady with whom he may desire to dance.

When a gentleman is introduced to a young lady at a public ball, it
generally means that he is introduced to her as a partner, and that
though he may not ask her for the next dance, he will for a subsequent
one, or that he will at least offer to take her in to supper, or, if
earlier in the evening, to give her some tea, or if she declines these
civilities, that he will continue a conversation with her until the next
dance commences, or until a dance is over. When a gentleman does neither
of these things, but walks away as soon as the introduction is made, it
is a proof how little he desired it, and that doubtless the option was
not given him of refusing it.

Good-natured friends of both sexes know how difficult it is to get
partners for well-dressed, well-mannered, good