Moths by Ouida — page 276: what you’re looking at

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

— 4 gre.) ee | MOTHS. Air and sea, space and solitude, were delightful to her Almost for the moment, going through that sparkling water, she realized her youth, and felt that twenty years was still not on her head. As she lay back in the little vessel, her shoulders resting on its silken cushions, the oar lying idle, her eyes gazing wistfully into the depths of the azuresky, she did not see a canoe that, lying off the shore when she had taken the water, had followed her at a little distance. Suddenly, with a quick arrow-like dart, it covered the space dividing it from her, and came alongside of her boat. ‘¢ Princess,” said the voice of Correze, *‘ the sea is kind to me, whether it be in North or South. But are you quite wise to be so far out on it all alone?” He saw the face that never changed forall the praise of princes or the homage of courts, and always was so cold, grow warm and lighten with surprise and welcome—wonder in the great grave eyes, a smile on the proud mouth. , You!” she said, simply. He had had much flattery and much honor in his life, but nothing that had ever seemed to him so sweet, so great, as that one word, and the accent of it. ‘*T!” he said simply too, without compliment. ‘‘I am astormy petrel, you know; never at rest. I could not help hovering near } your lonely sail in case of any sudden change of weather. These waters are very treacherous.” ** Are they?” said Vere, without thinking. She grew confused; she thought of the Wolfinia, of the Kermesse, of her husband’s invitation to Svir, of his last words in the Spitalkirche, of many things all at once; and the gladness with which she saw him startled her—it seemed so strange to be so glad at anything! ‘‘The fisherman says this weather will last till the new year,” she said, feeling that her voice was not quite steady. Correze had one hand on the side of her boat. ‘*'The fisherman would know better than I, certainly,” he an- swered. ‘‘ But the fishermen are over-sanguine sometimes; and there is a white look in the south that I do not like, as if Africa were sending us some squall. If I might venture to advise you, hada say, turn your helm homeward. You are very far off shore.”’ : ‘*You are as far.” | ‘*T followed you.” Vere was silent; she spent the nexi few moments in tacking and bringing the head of her little vessel landward once more, ‘‘[ thank you,” said Correze, as she obeyed him, She did not ask him why. ‘There is no tide, the clever people tell’ us, in the Mediter- ranean,” he continued. ‘‘ But there is something that feels very unpleasantly like it sometimes, when a boat wants to go against the wind. You see a breeze has sprung up; that white cloud will be black before long.” : ** Are we really very far from the land?” ‘A mile or two. It will take some stiff rowing to get there.” “* But the sun is so bright——-—” \ . «a? ~ — { “comicbooks.co . he PAS gtk g Bn