Page:Travels in Mexico and life among the Mexicans.djvu/63

Rh for our attention, and we soon heard them dancing and drumming in another house near us.

Those moving in the higher circles of society took their enjoyment at night in dancing, and there were two grand balls in progress at once. The entrance into the club-room from the street was at once into a spacious court, where great bananas and plantains lifted their broad leaves, and these were hung with Chinese lanterns. About this court were broad corridors, with doors opening into the main ballroom. The orchestra was at one end, under the high stone arches, conveniently near to the bar. As the ladies entered, they were escorted to seats in the main saloon, a long and high, though narrow room, where they sat ranged on both sides. They wore every variety of dress, from silk to calico, and, while some of the costumes were gorgeous, the majority were neat, fresh, and tasteful. The faces of the young ladies were sweet, pensive, and very pretty; the blooming complexions, though perhaps short-lived, soft and mellow-tinted.