They had already danced several sets together ; Joan had not danced with anybody else that evening . As they stood together under the light from the lamp on the shelf above them , many curious and disapproving eyes watched them . Connor Mitchell , who had been standing in the open outer doorway with the moonlight behind him , turned abruptly on his heel and went out . Paul King leaned his head against the wall and watched the watchers with a smiling , defiant face as they waited for the set to form . He was a handsome fellow , with the easy , winning ways that women love . His hair curled in bronze masses about his head ; his dark eyes were long and drowsy and laughing ; there was a swarthy bloom on his round cheeks ; and his lips were as red and beguiling as a girl 's . A bad egg was Paul King , with a bad past and a bad future . He was shiftless and drunken ; ugly tales were told of him . Not a man in Lyall 's house that night but grudged him the privilege of standing up with Joan Shelley . Joan was a slight , blossom-like girl in white , looking much like the pale , sweet-scented house rose she wore in her dark hair . Her face was colourless and young , very pure and softly curved . She had wonderfully sweet , dark blue eyes , generally dropped down , with notably long black lashes . There were many showier girls in the groups around her , but none half so lovely . She made all the rosy-cheeked beauties seem coarse and over-blown . She left in Paul 's clasp the hand by which he had led her out on the floor . Now and then he shifted his gaze from the faces before him to hers . When he did , she always looked up and they exchanged glances as if they had been utterly alone . Three other couples gradually took the floor and the reel began . Joan drifted through the figures with the grace of a wind-blown leaf . Paul danced with rollicking abandon , seldom taking his eyes from Joan 's face .
When the last mad whirl was over , Joan 's brother came up and told her XXXXX an angry tone to go into the next room and dance no more , since she would dance with only one man .
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