Moths by Ouida — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

I go in autumn; then you can come out in Paris and be presented next grandmother, who has behaved disgracefully to fully! I believe she’d be capable of coming u s) MOTHS. 1 vane grandmother. But, if her blue spectacles comfort you, ep her at present. Of course you will want somebody to be. with you a good deal: I can’t be; and I suppose you'll have to stay with me now. You may be seen here a little, and wherever in the winter, pring. I shall do it in spite of your me—disgrace- p to London to present you herself, though she’s never set foot there for fiiteen years!” Vere was silent. ‘‘ What do you like best?” said her mother, suddenly. Some- thing in the girl worried her: she could not have said what it was. Vere lifted her great eyes dreamily. ‘*Greek,” she answered. ‘Greek! a horse? a pony? a dog?” ‘‘A language,” said Vere. | ‘“‘ Of course Greek is a language; I know that,” said her mother, irritably. ‘‘But, of course, I thought you meant something natural, sensible; some pet of some kind. And what do you like _ best after that, pray?” ‘‘ Music; Greek is like music.” ‘Oh, dear me!” sighed Lady Dolly. ‘‘} can ride; I am fond of riding,” added Vere; ‘‘and I can shoot, and row, and sail, and steer a boat. The keepers taught 39 ‘‘ Well, that sort of thing goes down rather, now that they walk with the guns, though I’m quite sure men wish them any- where all the while,” said Lady Dolly, somewhat vaguely. *“‘Only you must be masculine with it, and slangy, and you don’t seem to me to be that in the least. Do you know, Vere—it is a horrible thing to say—but Iam dreadfully afraid you will be just the old-fashioned, prudish, open-air, touch-me-not English- woman! I am, indeed. Now, you know that won’t answer anywhere, nowadays.” ** Answer—what?”’ “Don’t take my words up like that; it is rude. / = J] mean, you > know, that kind of style is gone out altogether, pleases nobody; men hate it. The only woman that please nowadays are Kussians Because in their totally different ways they neither of them care one fig what they do if only it please them todoit. They are all chic, you know. Now, you haven't a bit of chic ; youlook like a creature out of Burne Jones’s things, don’t you know, only more—more—religious-looking. You really look as if you were studying your Bible every minute; it and Americans. Why? is most extraordinary!” ‘‘ Her father would read me Keble and Kempis before she was born,” thought Lady Dolly, angrily, her wrath rising against the dead man for the psychological inconsistencies in her daughter, —a daughter she would have been a million times better without she said, suddenly; ‘“‘you shall ride at any time. ‘Weill, adieu, my love | ~Cco m C aC 1 @ } CS Col