care to dance except with a really first-rate partner. She is not so
easily pleased as your ETHEL, I'm afraid.

_Second Ch._ ETHEL is _young_, you see, and, when one is pressed so
much to dance, one can hardly refuse, _can_ one? When she has had as
many Seasons as BELLA, she will be less energetic, I daresay.

[MR. BOLDOVER has at last succeeded in approaching Miss
ROUNDARM, and even in inducing her to sit out a dance with
him; but, having led her to a convenient alcove, he finds
himself totally unable to give any adequate expression to the
rapture he feels at being by her side.

_Mr. B._ (_determined to lead up to it somehow_). I--I was rather
thinking--(_he_ meant _to say, "devoutly hoping," but, to his own
bitter disgust, it comes out like this_)--I should meet you here
to-night.

_Miss R._ Were you? Why?

_Mr. B._ (_with a sudden dread of going too far just yet_). Oh,
(_carelessly_), you know how one _does_ wonder who will be at a place,
and who won't.

_Miss R._ No, indeed, I don't.--_how_ does one wonder?

_Mr. B._ (_with a vague notion of implying a complimentary exception
in her case_). Oh, well, generally--(_with the fatal tendency of a shy
man to a sweeping statement_)--one may be pretty sure of meeting just
the people one least wants to see, you know.