The dim light commended itself to their silliness, and after hesitating
a minute, the girl--whoever she was--allowed herself to be drawn into a
room where she had no business to be. Then, to make bad worse, they
selected the lounge to sit upon, and I had to lie closely wedged against
the wall, with "pins and needles" pricking all over my cramped body,
while some man I didn't know proposed and was accepted by some girl I
shall probably never see.
They continued to sit, making a tremendous fuss about each other, until
voices were "heard off," as they say in the directions for theatricals,
whereupon they sprang up and hurried out like "guilty things upon a
fearful summons."
By that time I was more dead than alive, but I did manage to crawl out
of my prison, and creep up to my room by a back stairway which the
servants use. But it was very late now, and people were going, even the
young ones who love dancing. As soon as I was able, I scuttled out of my
ball dress and into a dressing gown. Also I undid my hair, which is my
one beauty, and let it hang over my shoulders, streaming down in front
on each side, so that nobody would know one shoulder is higher than the
other.
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