He advanced with perfect ease, and paid his respects.
"I am very glad to see you here this evening, Mr. Mordaunt," said Julia, cordially.
"What a handsome boy he is!" she thought. "I had no idea he would look so well."
Mentally she pronounced him the handsomest young gentleman present.
"Take your partners for a quadrille, young gentlemen," announced the master of ceremonies.
"Are you engaged, Miss Rogers?" asked Dan.
"Not as yet," answered the young lady, smiling.
"Then may I have the honor?"
"Certainly."
So it happened that as Tom Carver entered the room, he beheld2, to his intense surprise and disgust, Dan leading the young hostess to her place in the quadrille.
[Pg 200]
"What a cheek that fellow has!" said Tom to himself. "I suppose he never attempted to dance in his life. It will be fun to watch his awkwardness. I am very much surprised that Julia should condescend3 to dance with him—a common newsboy."
At first Tom thought he wouldn't dance, but Mrs. Rogers approaching said:
"Tom, there's Jane Sheldon. She has no partner."
Accordingly Tom found himself leading up a little girl of eight.
There was no place except in the quadrille in which Dan and Julia Rogers were to dance. Tom found himself one of the "sides."
"Good-evening, Tom. You are late."
"I am too late to be your partner."
"Yes, but you see I am not left a wall-flower," said the young lady, smiling. "Mr. Mordaunt kindly5 relieved me of that apprehension6."
"I leave my partner to thank you for that compliment," said Julia, determined9 not to gratify Tom by appearing to understand the sneer7.
"There's no occasion," said Tom, rudely.
"I am glad of it," said Dan, "for I am so unused[Pg 201] to compliments that I am afraid I should answer awkwardly."
"I can very well believe that," returned Tom, significantly.
Julia did not smile. She looked offended rather for she felt that rudeness to her partner reflected upon herself.
But here the music struck up, and the quadrille began.
"Now for awkwardness," said Tom to himself, and he watched Dan closely.
But, to his surprise, nothing could be neater or better modulated10 than Dan's movements. Instead of hopping11 about, as Tom thought he would, he was thoroughly12 graceful13.
"Where could the fellow have learned to dance?" he asked himself, in disappointment.
Julia was gratified; for, to tell the truth, she too had not been altogether without misgivings14 on the subject of Dan's dancing, and, being herself an excellent dancer, she would have found it a little disagreeable if Dan had proved awkward.
The quadrille proceeded, and Tom was chagrined15 that the newsboy, as he mentally termed Dan, had proved a better dancer than himself.
"Oh, well, it's easy to dance in a quadrille," he said[Pg 202] to himself, by way of consolation16. "He won't venture on any of the round dances."
But as Dan was leading Julia to her seat he asked her hand in the next polka, and was graciously accepted.
He then bowed and left her, knowing that he ought not to monopolize17 the young hostess.
Although Tom had told Dan not to expect any attentions from him, he was led by curiosity to accost18 our hero.
"It seems that newsboys dance," said he.
"Does it?" asked Dan, indifferently.
"But it was not in very good taste for you to engage Miss Rogers for the first dance."
"Why not?"
"It was making yourself too prominent."
"Somebody had to be prominent, or Miss Rogers would have been left to dance by herself."
"There are others who would have made more suitable partners for her."
"Yourself, for instance."
"Yes."
"I am sorry to have stood in your way."
"Oh, you needn't mind. I shall have plenty of opportunities of dancing with her, and you won't. I suppose she took pity on you, as you know no other young lady here."
[Pg 203]
Just then a pretty girl, beautifully dressed, approached Dan.
"Good-evening, Mr. Mordaunt," she said, offering her hand with a beaming smile.
"Good-evening, Miss Carroll," said Dan. "Are you engaged for the galop?"
Miss Carroll shook her head.
"Then will you give me the pleasure?"
In a minute Dan was whirling round the room with the young lady, greatly to Tom's amazement19, for Edith Carroll was from a family of high social standing20, living on Murray Hill.
"How in the duse does Dan Mordaunt know that girl?" Tom asked himself, with a frown. "They spoke21 as if they were acquainted."
To Tom's further disappointment Dan danced as gracefully22 in the galop as in the quadrille.
When the galop was over, Dan promenaded23 with another young lady, whose acquaintance he had made at dancing-school, and altogether seemed as much at his ease as if he had been attending parties all his life.
Tom managed to obtain Edith Carroll as a partner.
"I didn't know you were acquainted with Dan Mordaunt," he said.
"Oh, yes, I know him very well. Doesn't he dance charmingly?"
[Pg 204]
"Humph!" said Tom, not very well pleased. "I thought him rather awkward."
"How can you say so, Mr. Carver? Why I think he dances beautifully, and so do all the girls."
"How do the girls know how he dances?"
"Why he goes to our dancing-school. The professor says he is his best pupil. We all like to dance with him."
"That's fortunate for him," said Tom, with a sneer. "Perhaps he may become a dancing-master in time."
"He would make a good one, but I don't think he's very likely to do that."
"It would be a good thing for him. He is poor, you know."
"No, I don't. I am sure he dresses well. He is as well-dressed as any young gentleman here."
This was true, and Tom resented it. He felt that Dan had no right to dress well.
"He ought not to spend so much money on dress when he has his mother to support," he said, provoked.
"It seems to me you take a great deal of interest in Mr. Mordaunt," said the young beauty, pointedly24.
"Oh, no; he can do as he likes for all me, but, of[Pg 205] course, when a boy in his position dresses as if he were rich one can't help noticing it."
"I am sure he can't be very poor, or he could not attend Dodworth's dancing-school. At any rate I like to dance with him, and I don't care whether he's poor or rich."
Presently Tom saw Dan dancing the polka with Julia Rogers, and with the same grace that he had exhibited in the other dances.
He felt jealous, for he fancied himself a favorite with Julia, because their families being intimate, he saw a good deal of her.
On the whole Tom was not enjoying the party. He did succeed, however, in obtaining the privilege of escorting Julia to supper.
Just in front of him was Dan, escorting a young lady from Fifth avenue.
"Mr. Mordaunt appears to be enjoying himself," said Julia Rogers.
"Yes, he has plenty of cheek," muttered Tom.
"Excuse me, Tom, but do you think such expressions suitable for such an occasion as this?"
"I am sorry you don't like it, but I never saw a more forward or presuming fellow than this Dan Mordaunt."
"I beg you to keep your opinion to yourself," said Julia Rogers, with dignity. "I find he is a great[Pg 206] favorite with all the young ladies here. I had no idea he knew so many of them."
Tom gave it up. It seemed to him that all the girls were infatuated with a common newsboy, while his vanity was hurt by finding himself quite distanced in the race.
About twelve o'clock the two boys met in the dressing-room.
"You seemed to enjoy yourself," said Tom, coldly.
"Yes, thanks to your kind attentions," answered Dan, with a smile. "It is pleasant to meet old friends, you know. By the way, I suppose we shall meet at Miss Carroll's party."
"Are you to be invited?" asked Tom, in astonishment25.
"So the young lady tells me," answered Dan, smiling.
"I suppose you'll be giving a fashionable party next," said Tom, with a sneer.
"Consider yourself invited if I do. Good-night, and pleasant dreams."
But Dan's dreams were by no means sweet that night.
When he reached home, it was to hear of a great and startling misfortune.
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1
parlors
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| 客厅( parlor的名词复数 )； 起居室； （旅馆中的）休息室； （通常用来构成合成词）店 | |
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2
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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3
condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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4
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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5
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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6
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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7
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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8
sneering
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| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
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9
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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10
modulated
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| 已调整[制]的，被调的 | |
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11
hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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12
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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13
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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14
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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15
chagrined
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| adj.懊恼的，苦恼的v.使懊恼，使懊丧，使悔恨( chagrin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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17
monopolize
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| v.垄断，独占，专营 | |
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18
accost
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| v.向人搭话，打招呼 | |
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19
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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20
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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21
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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22
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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23
promenaded
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| v.兜风( promenade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
pointedly
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| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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