Sentence:  "Several of the visitors then partook for a short time, "with evident Parisian gusto", of the pleasures of the dance," yes--we did, and the lovely girls with whom we polked (ladies being one of the Club <WSD>emollients</WSD>) were eloquent in praise of our exquisite "tournures" which were shown to such advantage beneath our tight uniforms. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Anything soothing the mind, or that makes something more acceptable.