Moths by Ouida — page 383: what you’re looking at

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

MOTHS (oN re 379 the Polish frost. She was praying with all the might of prayer in her soul, | She might be too late ta see him living—too late to tell him that she loved him—she, for whose sake and in whose sake and in whose defense he had found death, or worse than death! All the courage, all the fearlessness, all the generosity of her soul had leaped up into life and movement; she had ceased to remember herself or the world; she only prayed to heaven, ‘‘Grant him: his life, his beautiful life, that is like sunlight > upon earth!” She had come across the middle of Europe in the winter weather, over the snow-piains and the frozen rivers, unaided, un- accompanied, making no pause, taking no rest either by night or by day, as she had come through Poland. She descended into the noise and dirt of the street—she Sho: had never been a yard on foot unattended in acity. The move- ment around her seemed to her ghastly and horrible. Could he lie dying, and the city he loved not be still and stricken a moment? She mingled with the crowds and was soon lost in them, she who had always gone through Paris with pomp and splendor, she at whose loveliness the mob had always turned to look, she who had been the Princess Zouroff. | The day was drawing to its close; the troops were returning, the multitudes were shouting. In his darkened room Correze, - disturbed and distressed by the sounds, moved wearily and sighed. The door of his chamber opened, and Vere entered. She threw her furs and coverings off her as she moved, and came to the Sisters of Charity. The lassitude, the wealrness, the sickness which had weighed on her, and suffecated her youth in her, were gone; there was a great anguish in her eyes, but she moved with her old free, proud grace, she bore herself with the courage of one whose resolve is taken and whose peace is made. ‘“‘T am the woman for whom he fought,” she said to the nuns. **My place is with you.” Then she went to the side of his bed and kneeled there. | ‘“‘Ttis I,” she said, in a low voice. | : _ From the misty darkness of pain and delirium his senses struggled into life; his eyes unclosed and rested on her face, and had such glory in them as shone in the eyes of martyrs who saw the saints descend to them. He could not speak, he only gazed at her. She bent her proud head lower and lower and touched his hand with hers. : ‘You have lost all for me. If it comfort you—I am here!” CHAPTER XXXII. In the heart of the Alps of the Valais there lies a little lake, nameless to the world, but beautiful; green meadows and woods of pine and beech encircle it, and above it rise the snow-moun- tains, the glory nearest heaven that earth knows. Aroad winds down between the hills to Sion, but itis seldom _ — S) comicboo com | - 7 ‘7 : + 7 } a; ‘ , we te def “taal + { e +P AD 7 ann _.i ve ea, we NO Weatalas