He tried to take the programme from her fingers, but she moved it away. “Really, we mustn’t contradict each other, Mr. Griffin. The dance is Mr. Ingleby’s. Will you take me, please?” she said to Edwin. In an ecstatic dream Edwin found himself walking away with her on his arm. It was a miracle, an astounding, beautiful miracle. She picked up her skirt by the loop of ribbon with which it was suspended and looked him full in the eyes, smiling. “Shall we start?” she said. They started. In one fatal moment Edwin, who hadn’t been doing badly at the beginning of the evening, forgot every single precept that Professor Beagle had taught him. “I say, what a shocking dancer you are,” she said with a laugh. “I’m most awfully sorry, I only learnt this week.” Now that his mind was diverted by speaking to her the steps came more naturally. “That’s better,” she said. “Who on earth taught you?” He confessed to Professor Beagle, and she appeared to be amused. “You see you’re dancing away from me all the time. Just as if you were afraid of me. You ought to hold me closer. It upsets the what d’you call it . . . centre of gravity.” “I was told never under any circumstances to—” He couldn’t very well repeat Professor Beagle’s formula. “Now you’re getting on beautifully. Don’t think about it. That’s the idea. Just dance.” The music ended. “Where would you like to go?” he asked. “Out into the hall, if you don’t mind . . . on the stairs. I want to explain to you. It was really awfully good of you to take me on.” “It was a wonderful piece of luck for me.” They sat together on the shallow oak staircase and she proceeded to tell him that Griffin had upset her in the dance before by trying to kiss her shoulder. “I really couldn’t stick a repetition of that,” she said. “Besides, I think the man had been drinking. So I just pitched upon your poor innocence and lied for all I was worth. Who are you, by the way? I only just remembered your name when Mrs. Willis introduced us. She’s rather a dear, isn’t she?” The music of the next dance struck up. “Are you dancing?” Edwin asked eagerly. “I don’t know, I expect so. Just look at my programme. It’s too dark for me to see.” Edwin took the programme from her fingers. It was a thrilling moment. In the dusk he deciphered two initials, “E.W.,” he said. “Oh, that’s only Edward Willis. He’s very shy of me. If you’ve nothing better to do I think we’ll stay here.”