Mr. F—, who came to pay his compliments to Mrs. Seymour, on her entering the assembly-room, soon directed his principal attention to Julia, and obtained her permission to ask Mr. Chartres to resign her hand for one dance. Mrs. Seymour had no time to be out of humour at Mr. F—'s attention to Julia, being immediately asked to dance by Lord —, and after that she felt no inclination; for, if the female brow is ever clouded by ill-temper, it is certainly not in those moments when vanity is gratified.

Frederick Seymour danced with Charlotte, and Julia with Chartres; who wore a look of great solicitude, while by the most serious and unremitting attention he made himself master of the figure of each country dance, before he began to practise it. His performance of his lesson was, however, somewhat ludicrous. He flung out his arms and legs in a very singular manner, and, by his indefatigable efforts to dance with spirit, afforded infinite diversion to the whole company. This young man, whom nature had formed more on the plan of the yew than the osier, had, while dancing, rather the appearance of a puppet than of a human form; for his figure seemed to be framed of wood, and his movements directed by wires: but he believed that extended arms denoted ease, and that a high spring demonstrated spirit; while, in truth, his performance was as remote from either, as the stiff ringlets of our learned counsellors wigs, (those stupendous symbols of knowledge,) from the graceful flow of natural curls. Julia alone appeared insensible to the awkward motions of her partner, because she was not willing to give him pain. She saw that he observed, with mortification, the tittering of the young ladies whenever he approached; and she determined to appear perfectly satisfied with his abilities for dancing; though sometimes, when he sprang unusually high, with out-stretch'd arms, she found it difficult to suppress a smile.