It
broke up the reel. The doctor put his hands to his sides, bent
forward, and made the most comical contortions of face. In this
position he shuffled across the room, and actually roared out with
laughter.
I shall never forget the scene; I have made a sketch of it, to
illustrate this for you. There was this demure sinner, standing bolt
upright in front of the door, his hat hanging on the handle, which had
arrested it in its fall, and his long black hair, as if partaking of
his consternation, flowing wildly over his cheeks; while Peter,
utterly unconscious that no one was dancing, continued playing and
capering in front of him, as if he was ravin distracted, and the
doctor bent forward, pressing his sides with his hands, as if to
prevent their bursting, laughed as if he was in hysterics. It was the
most comical thing I ever saw. I couldn't resist it no longer, so I
joined the trio.
"Come, Doctor," sais I, "a three-handed reel," and entering into the
joke, he seized the stranger by one hand, and I by the other, and
before our silent friend knew where he was, he was in the middle of
the floor, and though he was not made to dance, he was pushed or flung
into his place, and turned and faced about as if he was taking his
first lesson. At last, as if by common consent, we all ceased
laughing, from sheer exhaustion. The stranger still kept his position
in the centre of the floor, and when silence was restored, raised his
hands again in pious horror, and said, in a deep, sepulchral voice:
"Fiddling and dancing, and serving the devil.
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