So he took her by the hand, and they danced down the ball-room.  It was a sight of all sights!  Never were such dancers!  So young, so handsome, so fine, so gay!

But once again Caporushes kept her own counsel and just slipped away on some excuse in time, so that when her fellow-servants came to their beds they found her in hers, pretending to be fast asleep; but her cheeks were all flushed and her breath came fast.  So they said, “She is dreaming.  We hope her dreams are happy.”

But next morning they were full of what she had missed.  Never was such a beautiful young gentleman as young master!  Never was such a beautiful young lady!  Never was such beautiful dancing!  Every one else had stopped theirs to look on.

And Caporushes, with a twinkle in her eyes, said, “I should like to see her; but I’m sure I never shall!”

“Oh yes!” they replied.  “If you come to-night you’re sure to see her; for young master has ordered another ball in hopes the beautiful stranger will come again; for it’s easy to see he is madly in love with her.”

Then Caporushes told herself she would not dance again, since it was not fit for a gay young master to be in love with his scullery-maid; but, alas! the moment she heard the fiddlers fiddling, she just upped and offed with her rushes, and there she was fine and tidy as ever!  She didn’t even have to brush her beautiful golden hair!  And once again she was in the ball-room in a trice, dancing away with young master, who never took his eyes off her, and implored her to tell him who she was.  But she kept her own counsel and only told him that she never, never, never would come to dance any more, and that he must say good-bye.  And he held her hand so fast that she had a job to get away, and lo and behold! his ring came off his finger, and as she ran up to her bed there it was in her hand!  She had just time to put on her cap and robe of rushes, when her fellow-servants came trooping in and found her awake.

“It was the noise you made coming upstairs,” she made excuse; but they said, “Not we!  It is the whole place that is in an uproar searching for the beautiful stranger.  Young master he tried to detain her; but she slipped from him like an eel.  But he declares he will find her; for if he doesn’t he will die of love for her.”

Then Caporushes laughed.  “Young men don’t die of love,” says she.  “He will find some one else.”

But he didn’t.  He spent his whole time looking for his beautiful dancer, but go where he might, and ask whom he would, he never heard anything about her.  And day by day he grew thinner and thinner, and paler and paler, until at last he took to his bed.

And the housekeeper came to the cook and said, “Cook the nicest dinner you can cook, for young master eats nothing.”

Then the cook prepared soups, and jellies, and creams, and roast chicken, and bread sauce; but the young man would none of them.