Moths by Ouida — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

=~ a wince MOTHS. ~ She world will have her, body and soul, and perhaps will put a bit of ice where that tender heart now beats. She will be a great lady, I dare say—a very great lady—nothing worse, very likely; but, allthe same, my sweet-brier will be withered, and my white wild rose will be dead; and what will it matter to me? I dare say I shall be a musical box with a broken spring, lying . in a dustof dried myrtle and musty laurels!” Lady Dolly danced, floated, bobbed likea cork, drifted languid. ° ly with her arms above her head, dived and disappeared with only the rosy soles of her feet visible—did everything thata pretty woman and a good swimmer can do in shallow, smooth water, with no breeze to mar her comfort. But she wasin avery bad temper all the time. Jura did not improve it, when she came out of the water, by asking her, again, to let her daughter go with them in the «¢ Hphemeris.” | “Au grand jamais!” said Lady Dolly, quitefuriously. ‘* After such an exhibition of herself with a singer! Are you mad?” She went home furious, changed her wet stripes for a yachting dressin sullen silence, refused to see the German governess, or to allow Vere’s door to be opened till she should return in the evening, and went down to the yacht ina state of great irrita- tion, with a charming costume, all white serge and navy blue satin, with anchor buttons in silver, and a Norwegian belt hung with everything that the mind of man could imagine as going on to a girdle. The ‘*‘Ephemeris” was one of the best yachts on the high seas; had a good cook, wonderful wines, a piano, a library, a cabin of rosewood and azure, and deck-hammocks of silk. Nevertheless everything seemed to go wrong on board of her that day—at least to Lady Dolly. They got becalmed, and stuck stupidly still, while the steam yachts were tearing ahead in a cruel and obster salad disagreed with her, or something did; a spiteful stiff wind rose; and the grand duchess borrowed her cigarette- Gase and never returned it, and, of course, could not be asked for it, and it contained the only verbena-scented papelitos that there were on board. Then Jura was too attentive to the comfort of another woman, or she fancied, at any rate, that he was; and none of her especial pets were there, so she could not make re- _ prisals as she wished; and Correze had obstinately and obdu- rately refused to come at all. Not that she cared a straw about Correze, but she hated being refused. ‘* What a wax you're in, Dolly!” said Lord Jura, bringing her some iced drinks and peaches. *‘ When I’ve had three mad people sent to me!” she cried, in a iy “And Ill be obliged to you, Jack, not to use slang ome.” Lord Jura whistled and went aft. — f ‘‘What a boor he grows!” thought Lady Dolly. And the _** Ephemeris” was pitching, and she hated pitching, and the little Duc de Dinant was not on board because Jack wouldn’t have ‘ : eering manner; then the sea got rough all in a moment; the | (elo) \ comicbooks