The Argosy — page 304: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Fack Laybourne’s Inheritance. 285 away to-morrow, positively, and shall call upon you this evening to fulfil your old promise of performing for me a Russian dance with Prince Sobranowsk1i.” I expected the Princess to hurl her plate at the audacious speaker, but she only gave a kind of angry growl, like the low roar of a caged lioness. “Tt must be impossible for an English girl to do that kind of thing well,” said I abruptly, a remark of which the implied rudeness caused everybody to stare at me. ‘‘ Mademoiselle Rita was taught by a Russian, I understand,” re- marked Sobranowski suavely. ‘‘ You need consequently be under no fear, chere dame, of your accomplished nation not being success- fully as well as charmingly represented.” Of course, I hoped Rita would decline to perform the dance; but after a very little hesitation she consented. We had two salons, one large, the other small. The latter communicated with the first by a door over which was draped a velvet portiere. Everybody came into the larger room to look on at the dancers. I, the usual musician, was asked to play a polonaise of Chopin; but on my flat refusal, somebody else was found to doit. At the first notes the Princess, who was livid, abruptly left the room. To my vague alarm, I noticed— and I think I alone noticed—that she reappeared immediately in the small salon, and with a stealthy step and furtive air hid herself in the shadow of the curtain, and, from thence, watched the pro- ceedings. I had never seen a ‘‘ Russian” dance before, so I do not know how to call the one I witnessed then. But I fancy it was only a kind of polonaise danced by two people instead of by many. Rita, with one hand on her hip, and her face upturned to her partner’s, danced round in a measured step. Sobranowski, bending his head above her with a devotional air, clasped her other hand in his left, while with his right he executed a pantomime descriptive of admiration and entreaty. They both marked the time with a recurrent clack of their heels, and quickened the pace somewhat as the dance went on. Rita, with parted lips and flushed cheeks, looked unusually pretty. Her slight figure made a charming contrast to the tall frame and gallant bearing of the Prince. They had been three or four times round, and found themselves exactly opposite the inner drawing-room door, when one of the sharp stops so characteristic of the polonaise occurred. At the same moment Sobranowski dropped on one knee and raised Rita’s hand to his lips. This was the end of the performance, and everybody ourst into applause. But at the same moment, and above the clap- ping of hands, rang out a sudden, shrill yell of execration. And just as the Russian was preparing to rise, with a spring like a panther his wife was upon him. | “Donnez! donnez! Infame! The letter! I will have the letter !” CORNICE LMO© .S (©) an