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The party all rose from table, and the table itself was
borne with the rapidity of magic from the room. Thus
the floor was cleared for dancing; but first the ceremony
we have alluded to was to be gone through with.

The company scattered back to the walls, where ranging
themselves in close columns they looked on in silence.
Then forth into the open space came father Von Horn,
and with a profound bow, and a sign to the music, said:

“Here am I—where is the bride?”

“Here am I—I am the bride,” said the merry voice of
the young girl, as she came into the open space, from the
opposite side, with a slight irregularity in her gait—for
the old man held gayly in his hand the captured shoe.

Father Von Horn bowed again.

“Is this the bride's shoe? look at it well,” said he.

“I am the bride—the slipper is mine,” said Sally,
blushing and laughing.

“I found the slipper—the little white slipper.”

“Do you wish a reward?”

“Yes.”

“What shall it be?”

“The slipper is pretty, and worth two kisses.”

“Kisses, sir?”

“Two of them!”

“Here are my lips.”

As they repeated these words, they slowly approached
each other, and father Von Horn kneeling on one knee,

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with the most profound respect, put the slipper upon the
girl's foot, and then rising, placed his arms round her neck
and kissed her twice, exciting thereby dreadful enmity
among the young men against him.

At the same moment, the whole company commenced
gayly singing,

The fiddle changing its tone from the wild outrageous
merriment which before characterized it, to a thoughtful
and subdued measure, here glided in, so to speak, and
interpreted the words. The whole was wound up with,
“heigho! heigho!” sung as a chorus, but these “heighos'
were much more like laughter than sighing.

Then the fiddle, as if ashamed of falling into a fit of
musing, and being absent in company, struck up a merry
reel, and the bride, the groom, the whole joyful party
commenced gayly dancing.

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