She was leaning one arm on the back of a seat occupied by a little thin woman like a respectable housekeeper, with a fierce contrivance of lace and flowers on her head; beside her, and also behind the chair, was a plump comfortable looking man, past middle age, whose round rosy face was adorned with two little restless laughing twinkling black eyes; a large bunch of seals to a black ribbon appeared below his waistcoat in bygone style, held up in a sort of relief by the goodly protuberance below. As I glanced at these details, this last individual said something to his beautiful companion with a sort of gravity over all his face except the eyes; she bent her head gently to hear, and then her lips parted with such a smile, that I wondered I could have thought her countenance expressed pride, thought, anything, but happy merriment: such a smile must come from the heart. "And where it most sparkled, no glance could discover In eyes, lip, or cheek, for she brightened all over." That finished me, "I must know her, I must dance with her," I exclaimed. "Yes, but how," said Burton, who had been watching me, "I was trying to find out who she is before you came in, and no one knows them." "How very odd," said Ashley. "She is so strangely unlike the people with her, and all the others," said I. "Ah! Egerton has received a death blow." "Command yourself my dear fellow." "She must be Cinderella under the chaperonage of the cook and butler." "I am determined," said I, "to know her, and _selon les régles_; for that is no young lady to treat with scant ceremony." So saying, I took Burton's arm and moved off to try and catch one of the Stewards; we succeeded, but the savage would do nothing; "didn't like" and "could not say." So we left him; and Burton was laughingly pouring forth consolations, when I exclaimed, "I have it! I will pretend to recognise her as some acquaintance;--profound deference--many apologies &c. Eh? get up a little conversation, it requires nerve, but you know I am half Irish!" "It requires great tact and impudence; I wish you well thro' it," said Burton gravely. This little conversation took place near a pillar, of which there was a row, two and two, across both ends of the room, dividing it into three compartments; the centre and largest of which formed the ball room. On re-entering it we missed the group of which we were in search, and for a moment I thought that my inexorable ill-luck had sent them home; but no! I soon discovered the unmistakeable profile close to the very pillar at the other side of which we had held our consultation. "Done! by all that's unfortunate," I exclaimed. "No, no," said Burton, "it is impossible they could have overheard us, besides, they may have only just got there." "Well, _coute qui coute_, I will venture." "And I will watch." The next moment I was bowing profoundly with all the grace I could muster. "I fear I am too presumptuous in hoping that you do not quite forget me."