Well these balls are terrible things, cried Arbella, as she woke still dizzy with the events of the evening; and the conversation of her fair visitants who met to ‘talk them over,’ did not much tend to disperse the chaos. ‘Lord, Louisa, why did you dance with that odious man?’ ‘Bless me, Maria, how could I help it; he asked me half a hundred times.’ ‘And I would have refused him half a thousand before I would have been seen in the same set with him. I wonder for my part people are not ashamed to be so ugly.’ ‘Who do you mean? are / you talking of the man with the legs?’ ‘No, my dear, I'm speaking of the man with the head.’ ‘But dearest Julia why did you take ice after dancing so much?’ ‘I don't know; Lord Strathallan asked me to take it, and I did not think at the moment; besides, we should really not have been warm, but for that old cross dowager Lady Pthisick, who quarrelled with Lionhart for opening the windows.’ ‘Yes, and with de Millefleurs for having perfumes.’ ‘And with Sabredash for making a noise; though I am sure he did not make as much as she did with her cough.’ ‘No, indeed, if instead of shutting the windows, he had thrown her out of them, he would only have served her right, and Mrs. Early, Miss Gaylife's chaperon after her.’ ‘One might as well stay at home as go out with such a woman.’ 'Instead of keeping it up, the moment one has begun to get into the spirit of it, she rises with her odious, “don't you think it is growing late?”’ 'But why did not Bellairs dance all night? ‘How could he when he never asked any one?’ ‘Did he expect us to ask him?’ ‘I really believe he did; and I do think we did not pay him sufficient attention.’