Moths by Ouida — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

4 ‘it MOTHS. girl, tenderly, and her young heart swelled with reverent sym<« pathy. She did not dare to break her mother’s silence, | ‘‘ Vere,” said Lady Dolly, dreamily, at length, ‘‘I am trying to think what one can do to get you decent clothes. My maid must run up something for you to wear to-morrow, Itis a pity to keep you shut up all this beautitul weather, and a little life will do you good after that prison at Bulmer. I am sure those three days I was last there I thought I should have yawned till I broke my neck; I did, indeed, dear. She would hardly let moe have my breakfast in my own room, and she would dme at six! —six! But she was never like anybody else; when even the duke ' was alive she was the most obstinate, humdrum, nasty old scratch-cat in the county. Such ideas, too! She was a sort of Wesley in petticoats, and by the way, her gowns were never long enough for her. But I was saying, dear, I will have Adri- enne run up something for you directly. Sheisclever. I never let a maid make a dress. Itis absurd. You might as well want Rubenstein to make the piano he plays on. If she is inferior,’ she will make you look a dowdy. Ifshe isa really good maid, she will not make, she will arrange what your tailor has made, and perfect it—nothing more. But still, for you, Adrienne will go out of her way for once, She shall combine a few little things, and she can get a girl to sew them for her. Something to go out in they really must manage for to-morrow. You shall have brown holland if you are so fond of it, dear, but you shall see what brown holland can look like with Adrienne,” Vere sat silent. . ‘‘By the by,” said her mother, vivaciously, ‘‘ didn’t you bring a maid? Positively, not a maid?” , ‘“‘Grandmamma sent Keziah; she has always done very well or me.” . ‘* Keziah!” echoed Lady Dolly, with a shudder. ‘* How exact- ly it is like your grandmother to give youa woman called Ke- ziah! That horrible Fraulein one might dismiss, too, don’t you think? Youare old enough to do without her, and you shall © have a nice French maid; Adrienne will soon find one.” The girl’s eyes dilated with fear. ‘‘Oh, pray do not send away the Fraulein! Weare now in the conic sections.” | ‘*The what?” said Lady Dolly. : ‘*T mean I could not goon in science or mathematics without , her, and, besides, she is so good.” ‘‘Mathematics! science! why, what can you want to make yourself hateful for, like a Girton College guy?” “‘f want to know things; pray do not send away the Fraulein.” Lady Dolly, who was at heart very good-natured when her own comfort was not too much interfered with, patted her cheek and laughed. *“ What should you want to know?—know how to dress, how to courtsey, how to look your best; that is all you want to know. Believe me, men will not ask more of you. As for your hideous Schroder, I think her the most odious person in existence, except dae ig cComicbooks:-co