The enormous list of subscriptions tempted them to lavish expenditure.

They wanted to do something on a marvellous scale--that's why it was put off.

They were still undecided where the ball was to take place, whether in the immense house belonging to the marshal's wife, which she was willing to give up to them for the day, or at Varvara Petrovna's mansion at Skvoreshniki.
It was rather a distance to Skvoreshniki, but many of the committee were of opinion that it would be "freer" there.

Varvara Petrovna would dearly have liked it to have been in her house.

It's difficult to understand why this proud woman seemed almost making up to Yulia Mihailovna.
Probably what pleased her was that the latter in her turn seemed almost fawning upon Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch and was more gracious to him than to anyone.