Moths by Ouida — page 285: what you’re looking at

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

MOTHS. 21 ‘We are too afraid of death,” he said: *‘ that fear is the shame of Christianity.” ** 1 do not fear it,” said Vere, in a low tone, her eyes gazing through the screen of roses to the sea. ** And you have not twenty year's on your head yet!” said Cor- reze, bitterly, ‘‘and life should be to you one cloudless spring morning, full only of blossom and of promise——” ‘*T have what I deserve, no doubt.” ‘*You have nothing that you deserve.” Madame Nelaguine came back to them with the priest. ‘* Why did you not come to Svir?’ she asked of Correze, as the curate made his obeisance to Vere. ‘**T had not the honor to know your brother.” ‘*No; but I believe——” ‘* He offered to pay me? Oh, yes. He wasdans san droit in doing that; but I, too, had my rights, and among them was the right to refuse, and I took it. No doubt he did not know that I never take payments out of the opera-house.” | ‘¢T see! you are cruelly proud.” ‘‘Am I proud? Perhaps. I have my own idea of dignity, a ‘poor thing, but my own.’ When I go into society I like to be free; and so Ido not take money fromit. Many greater artists than I, no doubt, have thought differently. But it is my fancy.” ‘¢ But other artists have not been Marquises de Correze,” said Madame Nelaguine. ‘‘Nay, I have no title, madame,” said Correze: ‘‘ it was buried in another generation under the snows above Sion, and I have: never dug it up; why should I?” ‘¢ Why should you, indeed? There is but one Correze; there are four thousand marquises to jostle one another in their strug- gles for precedence.” He laughed a little as he bowed to her. ‘‘ Yes, Iam Correze tout court. I like to think that one word tells its own tale all over the world to the nations. No doubt this is only another shape of vanity, and not dignity atall. One never knows one- self. I do not care to set up my old couronne; it would be out of place in the theaters. ButI like to think that I have it; and if ever I need to cross swords with a noble, he cannot refuse on the score of my birth.” His face grew darker as he spoke, he pulled the roses one from another with an impatient action; the quick marmoset eyes of Madame Nelaguine saw that he was thinking of some personal foe. ‘‘T suppose you have had duels before now,” she said, indif- ferently. ‘* No,” answered Correze. ‘*No man ever insulted me yet, and I think no man ever will. Ido not like brawling; it is a sort of weakness with my fraternity, who are an irritable genus; but I have always contrived to live in amity. Yet—there are offenses for which there is no punishment except the old one of blood.” He was thinking of what he had seen that night—Sergius Zouroff against the shoulder of Casse-une-Croute playing at the raloy ‘comicboc " : — he ea ' te 4 a + ht ‘ ‘/ 1b v,