Thus I cried aloud, forgetting in my excitement that I was in a country where my mother tongue was only spoken and understood at the German legation. In a moment it occurred to me: Did the mask know German? To my astonishment, she gave an immediate sign of intelligence by gliding, silently as a shadow, another step in my direction, and her biasing eyes appeared to kindle with merriment. Had she a veil over her eyes? It almost looked so and this extraordinary measure of precaution challenged me the more strongly to overcome her reluctance to being known. “Do you understand me?” I asked. She nodded in the same brief, jerky manner as before. “Do you know me?” Similarly she answered by negative motions of the head. I stepped up close to her with the question: “But will you not know me and love me? Come into my arms, and let us dance!” Then something happened that at the moment I found surprising and extremely startling, yet which I took for a mere carnival freak, while later on I could scarce review the occurrence with any degree of clearness. The nun threw her arms about me abruptly and almost desperately, and whirled me into a frenzied dance. I felt no body between my arms, and did not hear the rustle of her dress; I only saw those enigmatic dark eyes, which glowed near, very near, my own. And in mad career, regardless of the musical time or of the tune played, my curious partner tore around the room with me faster and faster, and with ever increasing fury. Her arms gripped me tighter and tighter and I was threatened with complete loss of breath in the wild race. Of a sudden I received a violent blow, resembling an electric shock, from each of her hands on my shoulders, felt myself all at once liberated, and staggered faint against a pyramid of plants. Boisterous laughter sounded on my ear; some other masks had surrounded and seized me, exclaiming: “Look at the fine gentleman! He is out of his mind, dancing about the room like a madman, quite alone!” I opened my eyes and looked all around. What had become of my partner? Not a sign of her was to be seen, although this other room was likewise very large, just then not well filled with people. “Have I been dancing alone?” I gasped, tearing the mask off my burning face. “Quite alone! Did you imagine it was with your sweetheart?” was the mocking, noisy reply. I was deeply annoyed. “Nonsense!” I cried. “You are all in the conspiracy! Where has the nun gone? It was no lady at all, it was a man in disguise!” They laughed still more, and some whispered behind fans that I must be drunk.