“The progress of the friendship between Catherine and Isabella was quick as its beginning had been warm, and they passed so rapidly through every gradation of increasing tenderness that there was shortly no fresh proof of it to be given to their friends or themselves. They called each other by their Christian name, were always arm in arm when they walked, pinned up each other's train for the dance, and were not to be divided in the set;….”

Does anyone have any insight into the meaning of that bolded phrase? Would they be pinning up each other’s train for dancing whilst in the ballroom, just to keep it out of the way, or is this something like pinning flowers on each other before going to the assembly? Can we use this fashion comment in order to date the work to 1798, or would it be more common later, nearer the time of publication?