Moths by Ouida — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

‘ MOTHS. 43 ‘When the door had closed on her, Lady Dolly rang for her maitre-@ hotel. ‘Pay the Fraulein Schroder three months’ salary, and send her away by the first steamer; and pay the English servant what- ever she wants, and send her by the first steamer. Mind they are both gone when I wake. And I shall go to Deauville the day after to-morrow; probably I shall never come back here.” The official bowed, obedient. As she passed through her drawing-rooms, Lady Dolly took up the bouquet of Correze and went to her own chamber. ‘* Pick me out the best of those flowers,” she said to her maid, and stick them about all over me; here and there, you know.” She was going to dine with the Duchess de Sonnaz at Deau- / ville. As she went to her carriage, the hapless German, quivering and sobbing, threw herself in her path. “‘Oh, miladi! miladi!” she moaned. ‘It cannot be true? You send me not away thus from the child of my heart? Ten years have I striven to write the will of God, and the learning that is better than gold, on that crystal-pure mind, and my life, and my brain, and my soul i do give——” “You should have done your duty,” said Lady Dolly, wrap- ping herself up and hastening on. ‘‘And you can’t complain, my good Schroder, you have got three months in excess of your wages.” And she drew her swan’s-down about her, and got into her carriage. ‘‘Now, on my soul, that was downright vulgar,” muttered John Jura. ‘* Hang it all, it was vulgar!” But he sighed as he said it to himself, for his experience had taught him tkat high-born ladies could be very vulgar when they were moved to be ill-natured. Correze was at the villa. She saw him a moment before dinner, and gave him ner pret: tiest smile. ‘¢*Oh, Correze! what flowers! I stolesome of them, you see. You would turn my child’s head. I am glad you are going to Baden !” He laughed and said something graceful and novel, turned on the old mater pulchra, filia pulchrior. The dinner was not too long and was very gay. After it everybody wandered out into the gardens, which were hung with colored lamps and had musicians hidden in shrubberies, discours- ~ ing sweet sounds to rival the nightingales. The light was sub- dued, the air delicious, the sea glimmered phosphorescent and starlit at the end of dusky alleys and rose-hung walks. Lady Dolly wandered about with Sergius Louroff and others, and felt quite romantic, whilst John Jura yawned and sulked; she never allowed him to do anything else while she was amusing herself. Correze joined her and her Russians in a little path between walls of the quatre-saison rose and a carpet of velvety turf. The starssparkled through the rose-leaves, the sound of the sea stole up the silent little alley. Lady Dolly looked very pretty ina dress of dead white, with the rod roses above her and their 4 petiin’ comichooks com