The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

404. WAVERLEY NOVELSa
Truagh, as a very cheerless residence for his daughter. Dame Deborah,
who longed for domestic independence, was careful to increase this impression, by alarming her patron's fears on account of Alice's health. The
mansion of Kirk-Truagrh stood, she said, much exposed to the Scottish
winds, which could not but be cold, as they came from a country where, as
she was assured, there was ice and snow at midsummer. In short, she prevailed, and was put into full possession of the Black Fort, a house which, as
well as Kirk-Truagh, belonged formerly to Christian, and now to his widow.
Still, however, it was enjoined on the governante and her charge to visit
Kirk-Truagh fWroml time to time, and to consider themselves as under the
management and guardianship of Mistress Christian-a state of subjection,
the sense of which Deborah endeavoured to lessen, by assuming as much
freedom of conduct as she possibly dared, under the influence, doubtless,
of the same feelings of independence which induced her, at Martindale Iall,
to spurn the advice of Mistress Ellesmere.
It was this generous disposition to defy control which induced her to
procure for Alice, secretly, some means of education which the stern genius
of puritanism would have proscribed. She ventured to have her charge
taught music —nay, even dancing; and the picture of the stern Colonel
Christian trembled on the wainscot where it was suspended, while the sylphlike form of Alice, and the substantial person of Damee Deborah, executed
French chaussees and borses, to the sound of a small kit, which screamed under
the bow of Monsieur De Pigal, half smuggler, half dancing-master. This
abomination reached the ears of the Colonel's widow, and by her was communicated to Bridgenorth, whose sudden appearance in the island showed
the importance he attached to the communication. hIad she been faithless
to her own cause, that had been the latest hour of Mrs. Deborah's administration; but she retreated into her stronghold.
"Dancing," she said, "was exercise, regulated and timed by music;
and it stood to reason, that it must be the best of all exercise for a delicate
person, especially as it could be taken within doors, and in all states of the
weather."
Bridgenorth listened, with a clouded and thoughtful brow, when, in exemnplification of her doctrine, Mistress Deborah, who was no contemptible
performer on the viol, began to jangle Sellenger's Round, and desired Alice
to dance an old English measure to the tune. As the half-bashful, halfsmiling girl, about fourteen-for such was her age-moved gracefully to the
music, the father's eye unavoidably followed the light spring of her step,
and marked with joy the rising colour in her cheek. When the dance was
over,-he folded her in his arms, smoothed her somewhat disordered locks
with a father's affectionate hand, smiled, kissed her brow, and took his leave,
without one single word farther interdicting the exercise of dancing. He
did not himself communicate the result of his visit at the Black Fort to
Mrs. Christian, but she was not long of learning it, by the triumph of Dame
Deborah on her next visit.
" It is well," said the stern old lady; " my brother Bridgenorth hath permitted you to make a Herodias of Alice, and teach her dancing. You have
only now to find her a partner for life I shall neither meddle nor make
niore in their affairs."
In fact, the triumph of Dame Deborah, or rather of Dame Nature, on this
occasion, had more important effects than the former had ventured to anticipate; for Mistress Christian, though she received with all formality the
formal visits of the governante and her charge, seemed-thenceforth so pettish with the issue of her remonstrance, upon the enormity of her niece
dancing to a little fiddle, that she appeared to give up interference in her
affairs, and left Dame Debbitch and Alice to manage both education and
housekeeping —in which she had hitherto greatly concerned herself-much
after their o-wn pleasure.