Moths by Ouida — page 298: what you’re looking at

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

Py s MOTHS. diverted. She was still staying with her friends at the villa of La Condamine. She looked like a little Dresden figure: she had a good deal of pale rose and golden brown in her dress, she had a knot of pink roses in her hand, and had above her head a large pink sunshade. Casse-une-Croute had been playing very near her at the table, but Lady Dolly did not mind these accidents: she was not supposed to know Casse-une-Croute by sight from any other unrecognizable person among the pilgrims of pleasure. ‘‘The ponies are waiting for you, madame,” said her son-in- law, as he met her and took lier from her little attendant group of young men, and sauntered on by her side down the marble stairs. — There was a gorgeous sunset over sea and sky, the thickets of camellias were all in gorgeous blossom, the odorous trees and shrubs filled the air with perfume, some music of Ambroise Thomas was floating on the air in sweet distant strains, throngs of gay people were passing up and down, the great glittering pile rose above them like a temple of Moorish art. JT have won a thousand francs: quel bonheur!” cried Lady Dolly. —* @uel bonheur /” repeated Zouroff. ‘‘ I suppose that sunshade did not cost much more?” ‘‘ Not half as much,” said Lady Dolly, seriously; ‘‘ these stones in the handle are only Ceylon garnets.” Zouroff did not look at her. His face was flushed and gloomy. He turned a little aside at the foot of the steps into one of the winding walks, and motioned toa marble bench. ‘‘ Will you sit there a moment? the ponies can wait: I want to say a word ted you that is better said here.” Lady Dolly put her bouquet of roses to her lips and felt annoyed. ‘‘ When people want to speak to one, it is never te say anything agreeable,” she thought to herself; ‘and he looks angry. Perhaps it is because that Casse-une-Croute was at my elbow; but I shall not say anything to Vere. I never make mis- chief; he must surely know that.” ‘“'Why did you induce your daughter to marry me by false representations?” said Zouroff, abruptly. ‘*False what?” echoed Lady Dolly, vaguely. ‘* You deceived me, and you deceived her,” said Zouroff. Lady Dolly laughed nervously. ‘‘ Deceived! what a very low, hysterical sort of word! and what nonsense!” ‘You deceived her,” he repeated, ‘‘and you cannot deny it. You told her nothing of the truth.” ‘The truth?” said Lady Dolly, growing very pale, and with a nervous contraction of the corners of her mouth, ‘‘ Who ever does tell the truth? I don’t know anybody——” ‘**Of course you could not tell it her,” said Zouroff, who also had grown pale; ‘‘but you forced her to your purpose with a lie: that was perhaps worse. You know very wall that I would not have had her driven tome so; you know very well that I supposed her bought by ambition like any other. You did a vile thing——” > *“You turned preacher!” said Lady Dolly, with a little shrill ~ “co micboo <5 (E(@)