us alight, “presuming the ladies had come to the dance.” Being informed of their mistake, they were very civil, apologized, and expressed their regrets. “They had hoped the ladies were coming to the ball.” We thanked them, but were on our way to ——. They bowed and withdrew, apparently rather disappointed at the loss of a whole carriage full of merry-makers, whom they had come out to receive with so much alacrity. Dancing was going on vigorously within; the dry, ear-piercing scrape of a miserable violin was heard playing Zip Coon, accompanied by a shrill boyish voice, half screaming, half singing out his orders: “Gents, forward!”—“Ladies, same!”—“Alla-maine left!”—“Sachay all!”—“Swing to your partners!" —“Fling your ladies opposyte!”—“Prummena-a-de awl!” The directions were obeyed with great energy and alacrity; for the scraping on the floor equalled the scraping on the violin, and the house fairly shook with the general movement.
Half an hour more, over a familiar road, brought us to the village, which we entered just as the sun set.
Wednesday, 4th.—Warm and pleasant. The sun, as usual on this day, ushered in by great firing of cannon, and ringing of bells, and hoisting of flags. Many people in the village from the country, all in holyday trim. Public holydays, once in a while, are very pleasant; it does one good to see everybody looking their cleanest and gayest. It is really a cheerful spectacle to watch the family parties in wagon-loads coming into the village at such times; old and young, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and babies. Certainly we Americans are very partial to gatherings of all sorts; such an occasion is never thrown away upon our good folk.
