High above sounded the musicians, fitfully trying some strain of which they were not certain.  Then they stopped playing, and talked, and their voices sounded goblin-like in their dark recess, where candles were carried about in an uncertain wavering manner, reminding Ruth of the flickering zig-zag motion of the will-o’-the-wisp.

Suddenly the room sprang into the full blaze of light, and Ruth felt less impressed with its appearance, and more willing to obey Mrs. Mason’s sharp summons to her wandering flock, than she had been when it was dim and mysterious.  They had presently enough to do in rendering offices of assistance to the ladies who thronged in, and whose voices drowned all the muffled sound of the band Ruth had longed so much to hear.  Still, if one pleasure was less, another was greater than she had anticipated.

“On condition” of such a number of little observances that Ruth thought Mrs. Mason would never have ended enumerating them, they were allowed during the dances to stand at a side-door and watch.  And what a beautiful sight it was!  Floating away to that bounding music—­now far away, like garlands of fairies, now near, and showing as lovely women, with every ornament of graceful dress—­the elite of the county danced on, little caring whose eyes gazed and were dazzled.  Outside all was cold, and colourless, and uniform,—­one coating of snow over all.  But inside it was warm, and glowing, and vivid; flowers scented the air, and wreathed the head, and rested on the bosom, as if it were midsummer.  Bright colours flashed on the eye and were gone, and succeeded by others as lovely in the rapid movement of the dance.  Smiles dimpled every face, and low tones of happiness murmured indistinctly through the room in every pause of the music.

Ruth did not care to separate figures that formed a joyous and brilliant whole; it was enough to gaze, and dream of the happy smoothness of the lives in which such music, and such profusion of flowers, of jewels, elegance of every description, and beauty of all shapes and hues, were everyday things.  She did not want to know who the people were; although to hear a catalogue of names seemed to be the great delight of most of her companions.

In fact, the enumeration rather disturbed her; and, to avoid the shock of too rapid a descent into the commonplace world of Miss Smiths and Mr. Thomsons, she returned to her post in the ante-room.  There she stood, thinking or dreaming.  She was startled back to actual life by a voice close to her.  One of the dancing young ladies had met with a misfortune.  Her dress, of some gossamer material, had been looped up by nosegays of flowers, and one of these had fallen off in the dance, leaving her gown to trail.  To repair this, she had begged her partner to bring her to the room where the assistants should have been.  None were there but Ruth.

“Shall I leave you?” asked the gentleman.  “Is my absence necessary?”