The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-04-19
OLD STEP TO A NEW TUNE.

"One, two, three, four, hive, SIX
One, two, three, four, five, six More
evenly, monsieur, if you please. You
must not rise so much on the four.
Again -Four, five, Blk One, two,
three, four, five, six !" with a mon0t-
onous regularity that seemed TO tell
of round of more or less stupid pupils
succeeding one another unendingly.
But Mademoiselle Gervaux, fashion,
able dancing mistress of Silver street,
Golden Square, and every one admitted
who had ever taken lesson of her one
of the prettiest girls to be met with in
town or country, had quick, laughing
eyes, which at present told of more in
terest than her business-likc tone gave
hint of. She was of dark complexion,
with rather vivid color, and below the
middle height, aud was moro richly
dressed than, knowing her station, one
would have expected.
Her present pupil had observed this;
and, bent us he was on attaining the OBJ
ject for which he had sought Silver
street, and on attaining it as quickly MS
possible, he had yet given more atten-
ton than he otherwise would to his
teachers personal appearance.
1t was only II o'clock in the morning,
and, however dazzling such persons may
appear at their weekly assemblies and
evening classes, he had not expected to
find such n paragon OF neatness and
taste at that hour in the morning. Cir
cling round the room by oneself, with
ones hands hanging in an ostentatiouSly
easy position, and ones figure reflected
in number of full-length mirrors, is
not way in which young man, even
of little vanity, would care to present
himself before q pretty girl; and the
Vicomte Alphonse Cmmignol, of the
French navy, was quite as vain--having
indeed such reason MS good-looking
face and'a slight figure can give man
to be so-ns most young men.
He was Frenchman who had been
for some time serving abroad, and with
distinction. He had just arrived in
London, and, rich, high-born and in a
small way famous, he found himself
warmly welcomed. Invitations to all
the best houses flowed in and Monsieur
10 Vicomte found it necessary to get the
assistance of friends well acquainted
with London society before he could de-
termine which of his cards he should
use, and which he should tacitly or ex-
pressly lay aside.
But of his many invitations one had
been accepted beforehand, and, in fact,
was the cause of his visit to England.
He was engaged to be married, and had
come over to be engaged to his .fancee
literally to be introduced to her, for
they had never met Their families had,
in French fashion, made up the match,
and the two persons whom English
people would have considered most in
terested had never come together at ALL
This was Monday. On Wednesday
week there was to be q state dinner al
the French Embassy, followed bya ball
for the purpose of introducing Monsieur
Alphonse to the daughter of the Marquis
de Ia Penthiere, French Ambassador a
st. James. A little of English preju
dice had been allowed to creep IN, IL
Difference to which the Vicomte had re
ceived a private invitation to tea on the
same afternoon, until which time, owlnt
to her absence on visit in Shropshire
the young lady would be invisible. Ii
one more week from that date they wer
to be married-a queer arrangement t.
the English minds, but to the two famil
les, and indeed to the two persons wilt
in English eyes would have been consid
cred victims to it, the most natural stat
of things in the world.
Oddly enough, the Vicomte could no
dance the newest waltz which was the
, the rage in London. New description
. of that dance succeeded one another S
quickly that in these days it is easy fc
a sailor, French by birth and fashionf
. BILE by station though he be, to retur
from the service of his country and fin
himself still cat sea" on the wcllwaxe
, boards of ballroom. Such q state
, things could not be permitted to COZ
. tinue, more especially as Mademoisel
, de Ia Penthiere would certainly expe
. her fancee to dance, aud to dance wei
t So the Vicomte had called in Silv'
r street one morning at an early hou
o had sent up his card, and had been du
l received by Mademoiselle Gervaux, al
had taken bis first lesson at once, 81