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"Wo! what a hat!" reiterated Billy, making a feint to knock it from the boy's head as the still capering figure pirouetted past him. The boy's eye caught the motion, and he whirled suddenly in a backward course and danced past his reviler again, this time much nearer than before. "Better try it," he said, in a low, half-laughing tone that no one heard but Billy and myself.
Now and then as he fought and struggled with the vast masses of ebony, rosewood, and mahogany on the upper floor of the music store, raging and chafing at their inertness and unwillingness, while the whiskey pirouetted in his brain, he would mutter to himself: "An' I got to do this. I got to work like a dray horse while she sits at home by her stove and counts her money and sells my concertina."
The nearest onlookers stood a respectful yard back and when unbalanced by the push of those behind went through such antics to avoid treading on it, while at the same time preserving the convention of innocence of any taboo that they frequently pivoted and pirouetted on one foot in an awkward ballet.
Notwithstanding his great age, this man who, of course, was Machenga, the dreaded chief witch doctor capered and pirouetted with astounding agility in the centre of the arena for fully five minutes; then he suddenly dashed forward, and, prostrating himself at Lomalindela's feet, proceeded to do bonga, or homage, by shouting the various titles of the king, and exalting His Majesty to the skies as the greatest, most potent, most wonderful, most glorious monarch in the universe, the only king, in fact, worthy of serious mention.
The last few words "you love best" rose to a shriek of exhortation. In the expectant silence that followed, "Sally" rose, pirouetted in a fashion worthy of a ballet dancer, then, with head down, fists clenched, arms tight at her sides, she made a sudden dash to break through the encircling wall of girls.
Holding a pair of gourds in which little stones rattled not unmusically, like castanets, she gyrated in the moonlight and pirouetted on her toes with such lightness and elegance that my curiosity was roused, and the next morning I had her brought to my office and asked her to account, if she could, for the marked difference between her way of dancing and that of the rest of her people.
"Oh!" thought Ida, with passionate longing, "may my spells hold, or else I may feel like following the example of the silly little violet." But she pirouetted up to her father, who was just entering, and said: "It's time you came, father. Mr. Van berg has begun calling me names." "I shall follow his example by calling you my good fairy. Mr. Van Berg, I have been in paradise all the week."
A thousand pardons! I had no idea! I beg you to forgive this indiscretion! I may take it you resign pretensions then? You have a lady here I have nothing more to say; I only beg a million pardons for intruding. A thousand times forgive me! Good-night!" He bowed and turned to go. Christian stepped forward, and let the hood fall from her head. "It's I!" Herr Paul pirouetted.
"Inappropriate?" exclaimed Mrs. Dodd. "There is nothing here unfit for a bride's trousseau." "Good Heavens! Would you trick her out like a Princess?" "We must. We are too poor to dress her like a lady." "Cinderella; at your service," observed Julia complacently, and pirouetted before him in her new shawl. Ideas rejected peremptorily at the time often rankle, and bear fruit by-and-bye. Mrs.
Bates's fingers back to the keyboard; "gentlemen forward to Mister Tucker!" Mrs. Bates pounded loudly, and Jane pirouetted up to her from behind. "Ladies forward to Mister Tucker!" cried Jane, and Mrs. Bates left the stool and began dancing towards her.
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