He said he would, and presently asked her in a formal public manner, lifting his hat gallantly. She showed a little backwardness, which he quite understood, and allowed him to lead her to the top, a row of enormous length appearing below them as if by magic as soon as they had taken their places. Truly the Squire was right when he said that they only wanted starting. 'What is it to be?' whispered Nicholas. She turned to the band. 'The Honeymoon,' she said. And then they trod the delightful last-century measure of that name, which if it had been ever danced better, was never danced with more zest. The perfect responsiveness which their tender acquaintance threw into the motions of Nicholas and his partner lent to their gyrations the fine adjustment of two interacting parts of a single machine. The excitement of the movement carried Christine back to the time--the unreflecting passionate time, about two years before--when she and Nic had been incipient lovers only; and it made her forget the carking anxieties, the vision of social breakers ahead, that had begun to take the gilding off her position now. Nicholas, on his part, had never ceased to be a lover; no personal worries had as yet made him conscious of any staleness, flatness, or unprofitableness in his admiration of Christine. 'Not quite so wildly, Nic,' she whispered. 'I don't object personally; but they'll notice us. How came you here?' 'I heard that you had driven over; and I set out--on purpose for this.' 'What--you have walked?' 'Yes. If I had waited for one of uncle's horses I should have been too late.' 'Five miles here and five back--ten miles on foot--merely to dance!' 'With you. What made you think of this old "Honeymoon" thing?' 'O! it came into my head when I saw you, as what would have been a reality with us if you had not been stupid about that licence, and had got it for a distant church.' 'Shall we try again?' 'No--I don't know. I'll think it over.' The villagers admired their grace and skill, as the dancers themselves perceived; but they did not know what accompanied that admiration in one spot, at least. 'People who wonder they can foot it so featly together should know what some others think,' a waterman was saying to his neighbour. 'Then their wonder would be less.' His comrade asked for information. 'Well--really I hardly believe it--but 'tis said they be man and wife. Yes, sure--went to church and did the job a'most afore 'twas light one morning. But mind, not a word of this; for 'twould be the loss of a winter's work to me if I had spread such a report and it were not true.' When the dance had ended she rejoined her own section of the company. Her father and Mr. Bellston the elder had now come out from the house, and were smoking in the background. Presently she found that her father was at her elbow.