The masquerade held much of the beautiful, mach of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust. But not yet: it takes time for libations to loosen the noumenon. At the beginning of the grand fete there were only four knights
and four dames with the courage to involve themselves in the festivities. Each dance called for mixed couples, so a knight and a dame would dance opposing another knight and dame. No person danced alongside or opposing another person more than once, and yet over three successive dances they all danced together in two rooms.

How did they accomplish this?