A young girl named Leila is about to attend her first ball, escorted by her cousins, Meg, Laurie, Laura and Jose Sheridan. Leila is from the New Zealand countryside, and she has never been to a ball before, to the surprise of her wealthier and more experienced cousins. The Sheridans speak with nonchalance about their attire and upcoming dances, while Leila is almost beside herself with excitement.
When Leila and the Sheridans arrive at the drill hall, Laura helps escort Leila to the ladies’ room, where women are busy getting ready. Though Leila focuses only on the noise and excitement, the women are clearly stressed out, competing for mirror space and worrying about their appearances. Once the dance programs are passed out, Meg brings Leila to the drill hall. Leila is awed by the beauty of the room, and Meg tells the girls around them to help Leila find dance partners. But the girls are focused on the group of men nearby, who eventually walk over to fill out their dance cards.
After securing a few partners, Leila meets an old man, who fills out her card despite not having much space on his own. The old man at first believes he recognizes Leila from another ball, which of course is impossible, given that this is Leila’s first one.
Leila waits for her first partner to approach her, reminiscing about her dance lessons at boarding school. They were often unpleasant—girls had to dance with each other, and they often stepped on each other’s toes or bumped into each other. Her experience with her first partner is much better than these lessons; she notes that he “steered so beautifully.” As they dance, he remarks on the floor, to which Leila replies that it’s “beautifully slippery.” This answer surprises him, and he asks whether she was at another ball last week. Leila is excited to tell him that this ball is her first, but he doesn’t seem to care.
Leila’s second partner also comments on the floor and a previous ball, which Leila notices is a pattern. Despite the repetition, she remains excited about the night until the old man approaches to claim his dance. She’s struck by how old and shabby he looks; he’s missing a button on his glove, and his coat is dusty. He immediately remarks that it must be Leila’s first dance, which he’s able to guess because he’s been attending balls for thirty years. The two begin dancing, and the old man seems to grow sad, telling Leila that she will never be able to attend balls for as long as he has. After all, she’s a woman and will soon be too old to dance. He points out the older women sitting onstage and says that Leila will soon be one of them, sitting up there gossiping about horrible men trying to kiss their daughters while secretly devastated that men no longer want to kiss them.
Leila is disturbed by her conversation with the old man, particularly because she hadn’t previously thought about her age—now, she’s worried that “this first ball [is] only the beginning of her last ball.” She’s angry at the old man, who she believes “spoiled everything” by cluing her in to her fate. The two stop dancing, and Leila chooses to lean against the wall rather than return to the floor. The old man tells her not to take him seriously, and Leila scoffs but remains petulant, thinking that she’d like to go home. Soon, however, another partner approaches and the two begin dancing. Suddenly, the ball seems beautiful again. Leila’s partner bumps into the old man, but she doesn’t recognize him and simply smiles.
