Moths by Ouida — page 160: what you’re looking at

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

usec ae ~ MOTHS. Lady Dolly, with some impatience. ‘‘They call her the Edek weiss in Paris. Of course it means that she is quite inaccessible, If she were inaccessible in the right way, it might beall very well. though the time’s gone by for it, and it’s always stiff, and nobody is stiff nowadays; still, it might answer if she were only just ex clusive, and not—not—so very rude all round.” ‘¢ She is never rude; she is cold.” ‘‘Tt comes to the same thing,” said Lady Dolly, who hated to be contradicted. ‘* Everybody sees that they bore her, and peo- ple hate you if they think they bore you; it isn’t that they care about you, but they fancy you find them stupid. .Now, isn’t the most popular woman in all Europe that creature I detest, Fuschia Mull? Will you tell me anybody so praised, so petted, so sought after, so raved about? Because she’s a duchess? Oh, my love, no! You may be a duchess, and you may be a nobody outside your own county, just as that horrid old cat up at Bulmer has al- ways been. Oh, that has nothing todo with it. She 1s so popu- lar because everybody delights her and everything is fun to her. She’s as sharp as a needle but she’s as gay asa lark. 1 hate her, but you can’t be dull where she is.. You know the prince always calls her ‘Pick-me-up.’ At that fancy fair for the poor Wallacks —whoever the poor Wallacks may be—the whole world was there. Vera had a stall: she loaded it with beautiful things, things much too good, and sat by it, looking like a very grand portrait of Mignard’s. She was superb, exquisite, and she had a bower of orchids, and a carved ivory chair from Hindostan. People flocked up by the hundreds, called out about her beauty, and—went away. She looked so still, so tired, so contemptuous, A very little way off was Fuschia Mull, selling vile tea and tea- cakes and two-penny cigarettes. My dear, the whole world surged round that stall as if it were mad. Certainly she had a lovely Louis Treize hat on, and a delicious dress, gold brocade with a violet velvet long waistcoat. Her execrable tea sold for a sovereign a cup, and when she kissed her cigarettes they went / for five pounds each! Zouroff went up and told his wife: ‘A brioche there fetches more than your Saxe, and your Sevres, and ; your orchids,’ he said. ‘ You don’ttempt the people; you frighten them.’ Then Vera looked at him with that way—she has such | a freezing way—and only said, ‘ Would you wish ma ‘to kiss the orchids? Zouroff laughed. ‘Well, no; you don’t do for this thing, I see; you don’t know how to make yourself cheap.’ Now, I think he hit exactly on what I mean. ‘fo be liked nowadays you must make yourself cheap. Jf you want to sell your cigar | you must kiss it.” ‘* But suppose she has no cigars she wants to sell?” ~ **You mean she has a great position and need care for no- body? Thatis all very well. But if she ever come to grief, see how they will turn and take it out of her!” ‘*I never said she was wise not to be polite,” pleaded Lady | Stoat. ‘* But as to ‘coming to grief,’ as you say, that is impose _. gible. She will always sit in that ivory chair.” | Said tadw Do byt gone never knows, and sheisodd. Ifany day | 4% HY aRee typ ng ~ scomicbooks.com — Se we ef a yore oT . y' j ‘ mm ; : ‘ f 4 ’ : é: - ° 7 - x 1 / : : ‘ ! ‘ ' ; ¥ ‘ : ,*s , Pi \! ty i Xs . Vis wy gil : Ny ry . ; , wy F WF "y ‘ abe 4 ~~ i" Lit t} ie ot wh : } ¥ i - . vt 4 Ate fe ; el : ee :* ‘ : ; ’ . 4 1 ; + . i. ' 4 ‘7 : , te ae hy ’ Al - . Peat. VY i KM AP * * & : - bE9f ‘st iti MAle my\ Le oe VE? es ar.) a 7 Ye al r eA Oe iS ary \ We eer mW Ny me J. PHVA? - 4 aie tT MeL 4 th there ta