Moths by Ouida — page 132: what you’re looking at

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

~~ _< HN SS MOTHS. saint. Perhaps you can make her comprehend that. Were she sensible, like others, she would be happy like them.” He laughed, and rose and drank some absinthe. His sister sighed, and set her teeth angrily on the cigarette that she was smoking. | ‘¢ Perhaps she will in time be happy and sensible like them,” she said to herself; ‘‘ and then your Jessons will bear their proper fruits, and you will be deceived like other husbands, and punish- ed as you merit. If it were not for the honor of the Zouroffs, I. should pray for it!” The Villa Nelaguine was full of people staying there, and was -also but five miles distant from Monte Carlo. Vere was never alone with her mother during the time that Lady Dolly graced the Riviera with her presence, carried her red umbrella under the palm-trees, and laid her borrowed napo- leons on the color. No word of reproach, no word of complaint, escaped her lips in her mother’s presence, yet Lady Dolly felt vaguely frightened, and longed to escape from her presence, as a prisoner longs to escape from the dock. She stayed this December weather at Villafranca, where De- cember meant blue sea, golden sunshine, and red roses, because she thought it was the right thing to do. If there had been peo- ple who had said—well, not quite nice things—it was better to stay with her daughter immediately on the return from Russia. So she did stay, and even had herself visited for a day or two by Mr. Vanderdecken on one of his perpetual voyages from London to Java, Japan, or Jupiter. Her visit was politic and useful; but it cost her some pain, some fretfulness, and some apprehension. The house was full of pleasant people, for Zouroff never could endure a day of even comparative solitude; and amidst them was avery handsome Italian noble, who was more agreeable to her than the Duc de Dinant had of late grown, and who was about to go to England to be attached to the embassy there, and who had the eyes of Othello with the manners of Chesterfield, and whom she made her husband cordially invite to Chesham Place. Shecould play as high as she liked, and she could drive over to Monaco when she pleased, and no life suited , her better than this life, where she could, whenever she chose, - saunter through the aloesand palms to those magic halls where her favorite fever was always at its hight, yet where everything looked so pretty, and appearances were always so well preserved, and she could say to everybody, ‘‘They do have such good music, one can’t help liking Monte Carlo!” | The place suited her in every way; and yet she felt stifled in it, and afraid. _ Afraid of what? There was nothing on earth to be afraid of, she knew that. Yet, when she saw the cold, weary, listless life of Vere, and met the deep scorn of her eyes, and realized the absolute impo- tency of rank, and riches, and pleasure, and all her own adored gods, to console or even to pacify this young, wounded soul, Lacy a , Nv - i y . com cboo cS (E(0)