Page:Czechoslovak stories.pdf/297

 At the dances none of the girls wished to be Matýsek’s partner, claiming he wasn’t grown up enough and was unhandsome and scowly. Besides, he had nothing to dress up in except the jacket left him by his deceased father, and they said his vest showed for a good hand’s length beneath the jacket, which was decorated with buttons as big as one’s fist. They had other faults to find with him also, but this did not worry him, for he always managed to dance to his heart’s content without them. Barka always sought out Matýsek at the dances herself. She held him by the hands as a mother does her one-year-old when she is teaching him to stand up like a little man, and thus she danced with him as long as his breath lasted. She herself never ran out of breath, even if she had remained on the dancing floor all night.

But it was no real pleasure or gratification to dance with Matýsek, for he did not know one note from another and never seemed to get into step. He hopped about as best he could, hanging his head and inclining his whole body forward. If his partner had not held him firmly, who knows how many times he would have had to kiss the floor in an evening. But Barka made up for it by bobbing up all the higher and the more merrily beside him, looking about over the whole room meanwhile to see if everyone was taking proper notice of how well Matýsek could guide. During the entire dance she smiled happily, showing her white teeth. The people fairly held their sides when watching these two dance.