Moths by Ouida — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

MOTHS. ty 45 sagacity that sometimes shines out in silly people, ‘‘ You never influence people if you don’t like the things they like; you always look what the boys calla prig. Women hate Vere, per- fectly hate her, and vet Iam quite sure she never did anything to any one of them; for,in her cold way, she is very good- natured. But then she spoils her kind things; the way she does them annoys people. Last winter, while she was at Nice, Olga Zwetchine—you know her, the handsome one, her husband was in the embassy over here some time ago—utterly ruined herself at play, pledged everything she possessed, and was desperate; she had borrowed Heaven knows what. and lost it all. She went and told Vera. Vera gave her a heap of money sans se faire rier, and then ran her pen through the Zwetchine’s name on er visiting-list. Zouroff was furious. ‘Let the woman be ruined,’ he said; ‘what was it to you? but go on receiving her; she is an ex-ambassadress; she will hate \you all your life.’ Now what do you call that?” ‘My friends of the old faubourg would have done the same, said Lady Stoat, ‘‘ only they would have done it without giving the money.” ‘‘T can’t imagine why she did give it,” said Lady Dolly. ‘‘I believe she would give to anybody—to Noisette herself, if the creature were in want.” ‘She probably knows nothing at all about Noisette.” ‘‘Oh, yes, she does. For the Zwetchine, as soon as she had got the money safe, wrote all about that) woman to her, and every other horrid thing she could think of, too, to show her gratitude, she said. Gratitude is always such an unpleasant quality, you know; there is always a grudge behind it.” ‘‘And what did she say, or do, about Noisette ?” _ “Nothing; nothing at all. I should never have heard of it, only she tore the Zwetchine letters up, and her maid collected them and pieced them together, and told my maid; you know wkat maids are. I never have any confidence from Vera. 1 should never dare to say a syllable to her.” ‘“Very wise of her; very dignified, not to make a scene. So unlike people nowadays, too, when they all seem to think it a positive pleasure to get into the law-courts and newspapers. ‘sNo; she didn’t do anything. And now I come to think of it,” said Lady Dolly, with a sudden inspiration towards truthful- ness, ‘‘she struck off the Zwetchine’s name after that letter, very likely, and I dare say never told Zouroff she had had it, for she is very proud, and very silent, dreadfully so.” ‘¢ She seems to me very sensible,” said Lady Stoat. ‘*I wish my Gwendolen were like her. It is all] can do to keep her from rushing to the lawyers about Birk.” . Vera is ice,” said Lady Dolly. * ¢¢ And how desirable that is—how safe!” said Lady Stoat, with a sigh of envy and self-pity, for her daughter, Lady Birkenhead, gave her trouble despite the perfect education that daughter had | eceived. | : rece Certainly safe, so long as it lasts, but not at all popular,” said NA nas abt comicbook ; com = L me