Question:

Re: Book 7, #9

Could you please advise how we should dance bars 17 - 24: first and second couples dance four hands across and back again, finish facing corners.  Second couple move up.

Answer:

The 1931 and the 1950 versions of Book 7 may have led to confusion here.  Both editions say:  

"17 - 20  first and second couples four hands across.

  21 - 24 And back again, first couple finishing facing corners; while second couple dance up"

This has usually been interpreted as right hands across for 3 bars, left hands across for 3 bars and cast off to corners, or dance up, for 2 bars:

17 - 19   1st and 2nd couples dance right hands across.

20          1st and 2nd couples change to left hands across.

21 - 22    1st and 2nd couples dance left hands across.

23 - 24    1st couple casts off on own side and dances across to finish facing first corners, while 2nd couple dances up to finish in top place.

The new edition of books 7 – 12 will clarify this.