Moths by Ouida — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

~The visit of her cousin brought back to her, poignantly and - freshly, the pain of the letter written to her on her own marriage from Bulmer. A great longing for that old innocent life, all dull andisomber though it had been, cameon her as she sat in solitude after he had left her, and thought of the dark wet woods, the rough gray seas, the long gallops on forest ponies, the keen force of the north wind beating and bending the gnarled storms shaven trees. What would she have given to have been Vere Herbert once again! never to have known this weary, gilded, perfumed, decorated, restless, and insincere world to which she had been sold. ‘‘ Really, I don’t know what to say,” said Lady Dolly, when in her turn, she heard the tidings in London. ‘‘ No, really I don’t. Of course you ought to marry money, Frank—an immensity of money; and most of these Americans have such heaps. It is 2 very bad marriage for you, very; and yet sheis so very much the fashion, I really don’t know what to say. And it will drive your grandmother wild, which will be delightful; and these American women always get on somehow; they have a way of getting on: I dare say she will be Mistress of the Robes,some day, and all sorts of things. Sheis horribly bad form; you don’t mind my saying so; because you must seeit for yourself. Butithen it goes down, and it pleases better than anything; so, after all, 1am not sure that it matters. And, besides, she will change wonderfully when she is Duchess of Mull. All those wild little republicans get as starchy as possible once they get a European title. They are just like those scatterbrained princes in history that turn out such stern goody-goody sort of despots when once the crown is on their heads. Really, I don’t know what to say. I knew quite well she meant to get you whenshe went to Stagholme, this Octo- ber, after you. Oh, you thought it was accident, didyou? How innocent of you, and how nice! Yououghtto have married more money; and itis horrible to have a wife who never had a grand- father; but still, I don’t know, she will make your place very live- ly, and she won’t let you wear old hats. Yes, yes—you might have done worse. You might have married out of a music-hall or a circus. Some ofthemdo. And, after all, Fuschia Leach is a per- son.everybody can know.” . The young lover did not feel much comforted by this form of congratulation, but it was the best that any of his own family cde a had given him, and Lady Dolly quite meant to be kind. She was rather giad herself that the American would be Duchess of Mull. She had hated all tue Herberts for many a long year, and she knew that, one and all, they would sooner have seen the young ch.er of their race in his grave. Lady Dolly felt that, in large things and in little, Providence, after treating her very badly, was at last giving her her own way. The young Dukejof Mull, a month later, had his way, and mar- vied his brilliant Fuschia in the teeth of the stiffest opposition and blackest anathemas from his family. Not one of them 4 , comicbooks' co