“Yes,” I said, following him, quite pleased.  For I could not bear to have him angry with me.  I was really fond of him, dear, old Richard; and I looked so happy that I have no doubt he thought more of it than he ought.  He pulled all the pretty vases in the parlor to pieces:  (Charlotte and Henrietta and his sister had arranged them with such care!) and made me a bouquet of ferns, and tea-roses, and lovely, lovely heliotrope.  I begged him to stop, but he went on till the flowers were all arranged and tied together, and no one came down-stairs till the spoilage was complete.

All this time Mr. Langenau was in the library—­restless, pretending to read a book.  I saw him as we passed the door, but did not look again.  Presently we heard the sound of wheels.

“There,” said Richard, feeling the weight of hospitality upon him, “Sophie isn’t down.  How like her!”

But at the last moment, to save appearances, Sophie came down the stairs and went into the parlor:  indolent, favored Sophie, who always came out right when things looked most against it.

In a little while the empty rooms were peopled.  Dress improved the young ladies of the house very much, and the young ladies who came were some of them quite pretty:  The gentlemen seemed to me very tiresome and not at all good-looking.  Richard was quite a king among them, with his square shoulders, and his tawny moustache, and his blue eyes.

There were not quite gentlemen enough, and Mrs. Hollenbeck fluttered into the library to hunt up Mr. Langenau, and he presently came out with her.  He was dressed with more care than usual, and suitably for evening:  he had the vive attentive manner that is such a contrast to most young men in this country:  everybody looked at him and wondered who he was.  The music-teacher was playing vigorously, and so, before the German was arranged, several impetuous souls flew away in waltzes up and down the room.  The parlor was a very large room.  It had originally been two rooms, but had been thrown into one, as some pillars and a slight arch testified.  The ceiling was rather low, but the many windows which opened on the piazza, and the unusual size of the room, made it very pretty for a dance.  Mary Leighton and the tutor were dancing; somebody was talking to me, but I only saw that.

“How well he dances,” I heard some one exclaim.

I’m afraid it must have been Richard whom I forgot to answer just before:  for I saw him twist his yellow moustache into his mouth and bite it; a bad sign with him.

Kilian was to lead with Mary Leighton, and he came up to where we stood, and said to Richard, “I suppose you have Miss Pauline for your partner?”

Now I had been very unhappy for some time, dreading the moment, but there was nothing for it but to tell the truth.  So I said, “I hope you are not counting upon me for dancing?  You know I cannot dance!”

“Not dance!” cried Kilian, in amazement; “why, I never dreamed of that.”