As soon as she entered she had seen Harney waiting for her,
and he had come up with kind gay eyes, and swept her off in a waltz. Her
feet were full of music, and though her only training had been with the
village youths she had no difficulty in tuning her steps to his. As they
circled about the floor all her vain fears dropped from her, and she
even forgot that she was probably dancing in Annabel Balch's slippers.
When the waltz was over Harney, with a last hand-clasp, left her to
meet Miss Hatchard and Miss Balch, who were just entering. Charity had
a moment of anguish as Miss Balch appeared; but it did not last. The
triumphant fact of her own greater beauty, and of Harney's sense of
it, swept her apprehensions aside. Miss Balch, in an unbecoming dress,
looked sallow and pinched, and Charity fancied there was a worried
expression in her pale-lashed eyes. She took a seat near Miss Hatchard
and it was presently apparent that she did not mean to dance. Charity
did not dance often either. Harney explained to her that Miss Hatchard
had begged him to give each of the other girls a turn; but he went
through the form of asking Charity's permission each time he led one
out, and that gave her a sense of secret triumph even completer than
when she was whirling about the room with him.
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