fall when he tripped her. He held her up valiantly, and
continued to beat a path through the crowd of other dancers by
main force.

He paid no attention to anything suggested by the efforts of the
musicians, and appeared to be unaware that there should have been
some connection between what they were doing and what he was
doing; but he may have listened to other music of his own, for
his expression was of high content; he seemed to feel no doubt
whatever that he was dancing. Alice kept as far away from him as
under the circumstances she could; and when they stopped she
glanced down, and found the execution of unseen manoeuvres,
within the protection of her skirt, helpful to one of her insteps
and to the toes of both of her slippers.

Her cheery partner was paddling his rosy brows with a fine
handkerchief. "That was great!" he said. "Let's go out and sit
in the corridor; they've got some comfortable chairs out there."

"Well--let's not," she returned. "I believe I'd rather stay in
here and look at the crowd."

"No; that isn't it," he said, chiding her with a waggish
forefinger. "You think if you go out there you'll miss a chance
of someone else asking you for the next dance, and so you'll have
to give it to me."

"How absurd!" Then, after a look about her that revealed nothing
encouraging, she added graciously, "You can have the next if you
want it."