A QUADRILLE: 

which is a dance particularly fashionable in the nineteenth century.  In order to render our details perspicuous and lucid, we will suppose—­

    1.—­A gentleman in tight pantaloons and a tip.
    2.—­Ditto in loose ditto, and a camellia japonica in the
        button-hole of his coat.
    3.—­Ditto in a crimson waistcoat, and a pendulating eye-glass.
    4.—­Ditto in violent wristbands, and an alarming eruption of buttons.

    ALSO,

1.—­A young lady in pink-gauze and freckles. 2.—­Ditto in book-muslin and marabouts. 3.—­Ditto with blonde and a slight cast. 4.—­Ditto in her 24th year, and black satin.

The four gentlemen present themselves to the four ladies, and having smirked and “begged the honour,” the four pairs take their station in the room in the following order: 

The tip and the
freckles.

The camelia japonica,                     The crimson waistcoat,
and the                                   and the
marabouts.                               slight cast.

The violent wristbands
and the
black satin.

During eight bars of music, tip, crimson, camellia, and wristbands, bow to freckles, slight cast, marabouts, and black satin, who curtsey in return, and then commence

LA PANTALON,

by performing an intersecting figure that brings all parties exactly where they were; which joyous circumstance is celebrated by bobbing for four bars opposite to each other, and then indulging in a universal twirl which apparently offends the ladies, who seize hold of each other’s hands only to leave go again, and be twirled round by the opposite gentleman, who, having secured his partner, promenades her half round to celebrate his victory, and then returns to his place with his partner, performing a similar in-and-out movement as that which commenced la Pantalon.

L’ETE

is a much more respectful operation.  Referring to our previous arrangement, wristbands and freckles would advance and retire—­then they would take two hops and a jump to the right, then two hops and a jump to the left—­then cross over, and there hop and jump the same number of times and come back again, and having celebrated their return by bobbing for four bars, they twirl their partners again, and commence

LA POULE.

The crimson waistcoat and marabouts would shake hands with their right, and then cross over, and having shaken hands again with the left, come back again.  They then would invite the camellia and the slight cast to join them, and perform a kind of wild Indian dance “all of a row.”  After which they all walk to the sides they have no business upon, and then crimson runs round marabout, and taking his partner’s hand, i.e., the slight cast, introduces her to camellia and marabout, as though they had never met before.  This introduction is evidently disagreeable, for they instantly retire, and then rush past each other, as furiously as they can, to their respective places.