party came.So she went on with her small remarks.'You are not dancing, Mr Preston!' 'No! The partner I had engaged has made some mistake.I am waiting to have an explanation with her.' Mrs Gibson was silent.An uncomfortable tide of recollections appeared to come over her; she, like Mr Preston, watched Cynthia; the dance was ended, and she was walking round the room in easy unconcern as to what might await her.Presently her partner, Mr Harry Cholmley, brought her back to her seat.She took that vacant next to Mr Preston, leaving that by her mother for Molly's occupation.The latter returned a moment afterwards to her place.Cynthia seemed entirely unconscious of Mr Preston's neighbourhood.
Mrs Gibson leaned forwards, and said to her daughter, - 'Your last partner was a gentleman, my dear.You are improving in your selection.I really was ashamed of you before, figuring away with that attorney's clerk.Molly, do you know whom you have been dancing with? Ihave found out he is the Coreham bookseller.' 'That accounts for his being so well up in all the books I have been wanting to hear about,' said Molly, eagerly, but with a spice of malice in her mind.'He really was very pleasant, mamma,' she added; 'and he looks quite a gentleman, and dances beautifully!' 'Very well.But remember if you go on this way you will have to shake hands over the counter to-morrow morning with some of your partners of to-night,'
said Mrs Gibson, coldly.'But I really don't know how to refuse when people are introduced to me and ask me, and I am longing to dance.You know to-night it is a charity-ball, and papa said everybody danced with everybody,' said Molly, in a pleading tone of voice; for she could not quite and entirely enjoy herself if she was out of harmony with any one.What reply Mrs Gibson would have made to this speech cannot now be ascertained, for, before she could make reply, Mr Preston stepped a little forwards, and said, in a tone which he meant to be icily indifferent, but which trembled with anger, - 'If Miss Gibson finds any difficulty in refusing a partner, she has only to apply to Miss Kirkpatrick for instructions.' Cynthia lifted up her beautiful eyes, and, fixing them on Mr Preston's face, said, very quietly, as if only stating a matter of fact, - 'You forget, I think, Mr Preston: Miss Gibson implied that she wished to dance with the person who asked her - that makes all the difference.Ican't instruct her how to act in that difficulty.' And to the rest of this little conversation, Cynthia appeared to lend no car; and she was almost directly claimed by her next partner.Mr Preston took the seat now left empty much to Molly's annoyance.At first she feared lest he should be going to ask her to dance; but, instead, he put out his hand for Cynthia's nosegay, which she had left on rising, entrusted to Molly.It had suffered considerably from the heat of the room, and was no longer full and fresh; not so much so as Molly's, which had not, in the first instance, been pulled to pieces in picking out the scarlet flowers which now adorned Molly's hair, and which had since been cherished with more care.Enough, however, remained of Cynthia's to show very distinctly that it was not the one Mr Preston had sent; and it was perhaps to convince himself of this, that he mutely asked to examine it.But Molly, faithful to what she imagined would be Cynthia's wish, refused to allow him to touch it; she only held it a little nearer.'Miss Kirkpatrick has not done me the honour of wearing the bouquet I sent her, I see.She received it, I suppose, and my note?' 'Yes,' said Molly, rather intimidated by the tone in which this was said.
'But we had already accepted these two nosegays.' Mrs Gibson was just the person to come to the rescue with her honeyed words on such an occasion as 'the present.She evidently was rather afraid of Mr Preston, and wished to keep at peace with him.'Oh, yes, we were so sorry! Of course, I don't mean to say we could be sorry for any one's kindness; but two such lovely nosegays had been sent from Hamley Hall - you may see how beautiful from what Molly holds in her hand - and they had come before yours, Mr Preston.' 'I should have felt honoured if you had accepted of mine, since the young ladies were so well provided for.I was at some pains in selecting the flowers at Green's; I think I may say it was rather more recherché than that of Miss Kirkpatrick's, which Miss Gibson holds so tenderly and securely in her hand.' 'Oh, because Cynthia would take out the most effective flowers to put in my hair!' exclaimed Molly, eagerly.'Did she?' said Mr Preston' with a certain accent of pleasure in his voice, as though he were glad she set so little store by the nosegay; and he walked off to stand behind Cynthia in the quadrille that was being danced; and Molly saw him making her reply to him - against her will, Molly was sure.
