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Page 73
When it came to the waltz, Alberto was kind enough to introduce to Hiram
a young lady--a friend of his--who, he said, was perfectly familiar with
every measure; and who would, as a particular favor, take the steps with
him, under the master's special direction. It took Hiram's breath away,
poor fellow, to be thrown so closely into the embraces of such a
fine-looking, and by no means diffident damsel. It was what he had not
been accustomed to. True, _he_ had been in the habit at one time of
playing the flirt, of holding the girls' hands in his, and pressing them
significantly, and sighing and talking sentimental nonsense; but here
the tables were turned. Hiram was the bashful one, and the young lady
apparently the flirt. She explained, with, tantalizing _nonchalance_,
how he ought to take a more encircling hold of her waist. She
illustrated _practically_ the different methods--close waltzing, medium
waltzing, and waltzing at arms' length. She would waltz light and
heavy--observing to Hiram that he might on some occasion have an awkward
partner, and it was well to be prepared.
To better explain, the young lady would become the gentleman; and in
whirling Hiram round, she exhibited a strength and vigor truly
astonishing.
All the while Hiram, with quick breath, and heightened color, and
whirling brain, was striving hard and failing fast to keep his wits
about him. What was most annoying of all, the young lady, though so
accommodating and familiar as a partner to practise with under the
master's eye, when the exercise was over appeared perfectly and
absolutely indifferent to Hiram. She was quite insensible to every
little byplay of his to attract her notice, which, as he advanced in her
acquaintance, he began to practice before the lesson commenced, or after
it was finished. The fact is, whoever or whatever she might be, she
evidently held Hiram in great contempt as a greenhorn. Strange to say,
for once all his powers of fascination failed; and the more he tried to
call them forth, the more signal was his discomfiture. It does not
appear that Hiram, after finishing his education with Signor Alberto,
attempted to continue his acquaintance with his partner in the waltz.
Once during the course he did ask the young lady where she lived, and
intimated that he would be pleased to call and see her; but the
observation was received with such evident signs of dissatisfaction,
that he never renewed the subject, and it is doubtful if he ever
explained to himself satisfactorily his failure to get in the good
graces of such a handsome girl and so perfect a waltzer.
CHAPTER X.
The Rev. Augustus Myrtle, rector of St. Jude's, was one of those
circumstances of nature which are only to be encountered in metropolitan
life. This seems a paradox. I will explain. All his qualities were born
with him, not acquired, and those qualities could only shine in the
aristocratic and fashionable circles of a large city. As animals by
instinct avoid whatever is noxious and hurtful, so Augustus Myrtle from
his infancy by instinct avoided all poor people and all persons not in
the 'very first society.'
Children are naturally democrats; school is a great leveller. Augustus
Myrtle recognized no such propositions. While a boy at the academy,
while a youth in college, he sought the intimacy of boys and youths of
rich persons of _ton_. It was not enough that a young fellow was well
bred and had a good social position--he must be rich. It was not enough
that he was rich--he must have position.
I do not think that Augustus Myrtle sat down carefully to calculate all
this. So I say it was instinctive--born with him. A person who frequents
only the society of the well bred and the wealthy must, to a degree at
least, possess refined and elegant and expensive tastes, and it was so
in the case of Myrtle. His tastes were refined and elegant and
expensive.
His parents were themselves people of respectability, but very poor. His
mother used to say that her son's decided predilections were in
consequence of her unfortunate state of mind the season Augustus was
born, when poverty pinched the family sharply. Mr. Myrtle was a man of
collegiate education, with an excellent mind, but totally unfitted for
active life. The result was, after marrying a poor girl, who was,
however, of the 'aristocracy,' he became, through the influence of her
friends, the librarian of the principal library in a neighboring city,
with a fair salary, on which, with occasional sums received for
literary productions, he managed to bring up and support his small
family. At times, when some unexpected expenses had to be incurred, as I
have hinted, poverty seemed to poor Mrs. Myrtle a very great hardship,
and such was their situation the year Augustus was born.
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