At that day there were but few families of any wealth who did not own one black man who could play well upon the violin.  Joris possessed two; and they were both on hand, putting their own gay spirits into the fiddle and the bow.  And oh, how happy were the beating feet and the beating hearts that went to the stirring strains!  It was joy and love and youth in melodious motion.  The old looked on with gleaming, sympathetic eyes; the young forgot that they were mortal.

Then there was a short pause; and the ladies sipped chocolate, and the gentlemen sipped something a little stronger, and a merry ripple of conversation and of hearty laughter ran with the clink of glass and china, and the scraping of the fiddle-bows.

“Miss Katern Van Heemskirk and Mr. Neil Semple will now hab de honour of ’bliging de company wid de French minuet.”

At this announcement, made by the first negro violin, there was a sudden silence; and Neil rose, and with a low bow offered the tips of his fingers to the beautiful girl, who rose blushing to take them.  The elder deliberately turned his chair around, in order to watch the movement comfortably; and there was an inexpressible smile of satisfaction on his face as his eyes followed the young people.  Neil’s dark, stately beauty was well set off by his black velvet suit and powdered hair and gold buckles.  And no lovelier contrast could have faced him than Katherine Van Heemskirk; so delicately fresh, so radiantly fair, she looked in her light-blue robe and white lace stomacher, with a pink rose at her breast.  There were shining amber beads around her white throat, and a large amber comb fastened her pale brown hair.  A gilded Indian fan was in her hand, and she used it with all the pretty airs she had so aptly copied from Mrs. Gordon.

Neil had a natural majesty in his carriage; Katherine supplemented it with a natural grace, and with certain courtly movements which made the little Dutch girls, who had never seen Mrs. Gordon practising them, admire and wonder.  As she was in the very act of making Neil a profound courtesy, the door opened, and Mrs. Gordon and Captain Hyde entered.  The latter took in the exquisite picture in a moment; and there was a fire of jealousy in his heart when he saw Neil lead his partner to her seat, and with the deepest respect kiss her pretty fingers ere he resigned them.

But he was compelled to control himself, as he was ceremoniously introduced to Councillor and Madam Van Heemskirk by his aunt, who, with a charming effusiveness, declared “she was very uneasy to intrude so far; but, in faith, Councillor,” she pleaded, “I am but a woman, and I find the news of a wedding beyond my nature to resist.”