There was no disobeying her, without rudeness; and indeed the girls’ feet were already jigging; and Lizzie giving herself wonderful airs with a roll of learned music; and even while Annie was doing my collop, her pretty round instep was arching itself, as I could see from the parlour-door.  So I took little Ruth, and I spun her around, as the sound of the music came lively and ringing; and after us came all the rest with much laughter, begging me not to jump over her; and anon my grave partner began to smile sweetly, and look up at me with the brightest of eyes, and drop me the prettiest curtseys; till I thought what a great stupe I must have been to dream of putting her in the cheese-rack.  But one thing I could not at all understand; why mother, who used to do all in her power to throw me across Sally Snowe, should now do the very opposite; for she would not allow me one moment with Sally, not even to cross in the dance, or whisper, or go anywhere near a corner (which as I said, I intended to do, just by way of practice), while she kept me, all the evening, as close as possible with Ruth Huckaback, and came up and praised me so to Ruth, times and again, that I declare I was quite ashamed.  Although of course I knew that I deserved it all, but I could not well say that.

Then Annie came sailing down the dance, with her beautiful hair flowing round her; the lightest figure in all the room, and the sweetest, and the loveliest.  She was blushing, with her fair cheeks red beneath her dear blue eyes, as she met my glance of surprise and grief at the partner she was leaning on.  It was Squire Marwood de Whichehalse.  I would sooner have seen her with Tom Faggus, as indeed I had expected, when I heard of Parson Bowden.  And to me it seemed that she had no right to be dancing so with any other; and to this effect I contrived to whisper; but she only said, “See to yourself, John.  No, but let us both enjoy ourselves.  You are not dancing with Lorna, John.  But you seem uncommonly happy.”

“Tush,” I said; “could I flip about so, if I had my love with me?”

CHAPTER XXXI

JOHN FRY’S ERRAND

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We kept up the dance very late that night, mother being in such wonderful spirits, that she would not hear of our going to bed:  while she glanced from young Squire Marwood, very deep in his talk with our Annie, to me and Ruth Huckaback who were beginning to be very pleasant company.  Alas, poor mother, so proud as she was, how little she dreamed that her good schemes already were hopelessly going awry!

Being forced to be up before daylight next day, in order to begin right early, I would not go to my bedroom that night for fear of disturbing my mother, but determined to sleep in the tallat awhile, that place being cool, and airy, and refreshing with the smell of sweet hay.  Moreover, after my dwelling in town, where I had felt like a horse on a lime-kiln, I could not for a length of time have enough of country life.  The mooing of a calf was music, and the chuckle of a fowl was wit, and the snore of the horses was news to me.