I went, and, arriving at nine of the clock, I found that the guests were _beginning_ to flock. I could but conclude--though 'twas early, they said-- That when folks go to parties they should go--to bed.
Ere long the magnificent parlors were thronged By radiant beauties and gents, who belonged To the circles composed of the lofty _élite_, Whose presumption or pride 'twere not easy to beat. 'Twas a splendid, a gorgeous, a 'glorious' sight To be viewed in that parlor on that winter night. There were beaux, who the finest of broadcloth were dressed in-- Invested in vestments they always invest in-- And belles, who assisted to fill up the scene With roods upon roods of their huge crinoline. Such flounces! they seemed to my wondering eyes Like Alps upon Alps that in majesty rise. The costliest jewels and handsomest laces Imparted their charms to embellish their graces. And the men seemed to float through the mazes of girls, Like sharks in an ocean of mermaids and pearls.
But soon, as the evening began to advance, A movement was made to engage in a dance; And, being invited to join in a set, With a young demoiselle whom I never had met, I took a position to dance with the rest, And soon I was doing the thing with a zest.
For an hour the divinest sensations were mine; But then my enjoyment commenced to decline. In halting to rest, I but wearied the more, So I finally 'vowed that the dance was a bore. Exhausted at length, I collapsed in a chair, And studied the various characters there. Together they formed a remarkable show; For further particulars _vide_ below.
There was Trickster, a merchant of physical leanness, Distinguished alike for his means and his meanness; And Sharper, a lawyer, with manners as courtly, And practice as large, as his person was portly. There was Aderman Michaels, the head of his faction, Who had learned, it was whispered, the rule of subtraction, And practised it often in 'grinding his axes,' Which helped to account for the rise in the taxes. And there was a man with a rubicund nose, As bright as the bud of an opening rose, Disclosing a liking to 'live and be merry,' With a strong fellow feeling for brandy and sherry. And then there was one with elongated face, Who seemed to have made a mistake in the place. Not a jest, nor a pleasure, was known to beguile His lugubrious countenance into a smile; But he moved through the dance, from beginning to end, Like a man on his way to the grave of a friend.