Moths by Ouida — page 130: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

526 _ MOTHS. unnatural! Not a word, even to me, of her poor, dear, little, dead child. Notaword! It is really too painful.” The Princess Nelaguine answered, dryly, ‘‘ Your daughter ig not very happy. My brotherisnotanangel. Butthen you knew very well, chere madame, that he never was one.” ‘‘Tam sure he seems very good,” said Lady Dolly, piteously, and with fretfulness. She honestly thought it. Vere had enormous jewels, constant amusement, and a bottom: less purse: the mind of Lady Dolly was honestly impotent to con: ceive any state of existence more enviable than this, **To think what I am content with!” she thought to herself. she, who had to worry her husband every time she wanted a check, who had more debts for dress and pretty trifles than she would pay if she lived to be a hundred, and who constantly had to bor- row half a crown for a cup of tea st Hurlingham, or a rouleau of gold to play with at Monaco. | Those were trials, indeed! ‘‘T hope you realize that you are my mother-in-law,” said Zouroff, as Lady Dolly sat on his right hand and he gave her some grapes at breakfast. | He laughed as he said it. Lady Dolly tried to laugh, but did not succeed. ‘You are bound to detest me,” she said, with an exaggerated little smile, ‘‘ by all prececents of fiction and of fact.” ‘Oh, no!” said Zouroff, gallantly; ‘‘never in fiction or in fact had any man so bewitching and youthful a mother-in-law. On my life, you look no older than Vera.” ‘*Oh-h!” said Lady Dolly, pleased but. deprecatory. ‘‘ Vera is in a grand style, you know. Women like her look older than they are at twenty, but at forty they look much younger thay they are. That is the use of hight and straight features and Greek brows. When one isa little doll, like me, one must be resigned to looking insignificant always.” ‘“‘Is the Venus de Medici insignificant? she is very small,” said Zouroff, still most gallantly; and he added, ina Jower key, ‘You were always pretty, Dolly; you always will be. I am sorry tosee that prayer-book; it looks as if you felt| growing old; eet will be wretched if you once get thas idea into your ead.’ ‘‘T feel young,” said Lady Dolly, sentimentally. ‘‘Bnt it would sound ridiculous to pretend to be so.” _ Her glance went to the graceful and dignified presence of her dauchter. ‘¢Vere is very handsome, very beautiful,” she continued, hesi- tatingly. ‘* But—but—surely sheis not looking very well?” ‘‘She is scarcely recovered,” said Zouroff, roughly; and the speech annoyed him. He knew that his young wife was un- happy, but he did not choose for any one to pity her, and for her mother of all people, to do so!—— ‘* Ah! to besure, no!” sighed Lady Dolly. ‘‘It was so sad— r little angel!; But did Vera care much? I think not.” _, “TY think there is nothing she cares for,” said Zouroff, savage \ * . p J 7 Pe! a - , "y oS .4 - : ’ , - é ‘ - ei? ! } a, ‘ . . 5 , 2 . ' ' ¥ } An 4 e + oe J 1, « ’ ~ : “a ee el ae | / as - ‘ x ‘ wea! ia .. | 4h - An f -. - a Pin, ve