Heated and breathless, he led her out of the ball-room to get some refreshment.

There was a large supper-room which, on the cessation of the waltz, immediately became crowded by other couples bent on a similar errand.

But there had also been established a little subsidiary buffet in a small cabinet at the furthest end of the suite of rooms, for the purpose of drawing off some of the crowd from the main supper-room.

And thither Ludovico led Bianca, thinking to avoid the crush of people rushing in to the larger room.
The young Marchese--the "Marchesino," as he was often called, to distinguish him from his uncle, the Marchese Lamberto--was one of the small committee of the Circolo, who had had the management of all the arrangements for the ball; and was, accordingly, well aware of the whereabouts of this little "succursale" to the supper-room.

But it is probable that the existence of it was unknown to the great majority of the company.