Moths by Ouida — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

MOTHS. | mid *¢Tt will be horrible! horrible!” she said to herself. *‘ Why did. Adine ever tell me to come here?” | For Lady Dolly was never in her own eyes the victim of her own follies, but always that of some one else’s bad counsels. Lady Dolly was frightened when she thought that it was pos- sible that this scorner of unmarried women would be won by her own child. But she was yet more terrified when the probable hopelessness of any such project flashed on her. The gift of the dog might mean everything and might mean nothing. ‘What a constant misery she is!” she mused. ‘‘Oh, why wasn’t shea boy? They go to Eton, and if they get into trouble men manage it all; and they are useful to go about with if you want stalls at a theatre, or an escort that don’t compromise you. But a daughter! She could have cried, dressed though she was for dinner, in a combination of orange and deadleaf, that would have consoled any woman under any affliction ‘*Do you think he means it?” she whispered to Lady Stoat, who answered, cautiously. | ‘<I think he might be made to mean it.” Lady Dolly sighed, and looked nervous, Two days later, Loris had a silver collar on his neck that had just come from Paris. It had the inscription on it of the Trou- adour’s motto for his mistress’s falcon: ) ‘* Quiconque me trouvera, qwil me mene a ma maitresse: pour recompense il la verra.” Vere looked doubtfully at the collar; she preferred Loris with- out it. ‘‘ He does mean it,” said Lady Dolly to herself, and her pulses fluttered strangely. ‘‘T’d have given you a dog if I'd known you wished for one,” said John Jura moodily that evening to Vere. She smiled and thanked him. ‘¢T had so many dogs about me at Bulmer I fee? lost without one, and Loris is very beautiful——” Jura looked at her with hard scrutiny. ‘‘ How do you like the giver of Loris?” Vere met his gaze unmoved. ‘‘T do not like him at all,” she said, inalow tone. ‘“‘ But per- haps it is not sincere to say so. Heis very kind, and we are in his house.” ix vis ‘‘ My dear, that we are in his house, or that he is in ours, is the very reason to abuse a man like a thief! You don’t seem to understand modern ethics,” said the heroine of the flea epic, as she passed near, with a little laugh, on her way to play chemin de fer in the next drawing-room. Don’t listen to them,” said Jura, hastily. ‘‘ They will do you no good; they are all a bad lot here.” «But they are all gentle-people?” said Vere, in some astonish- ment. ‘They are all gentlemen and gentlewomen born,” ‘Oh, born!” said Jura, with immeasurable contempt. ‘‘ Oh, — yes! they’re all in the swim, for that matter; but they are about comicboo <<} Cc 0)