Moths by Ouida — page 313: what you’re looking at

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

MOTHS. 809 beautiful woman such extreme goodness would make her utterly uninteresting; but, still, for that very reason she is just the sort of person to cling to an idea, to preserve a sentiment like a relic in a silver box; and I have always heard, if you have not, that Correze is her idea, is her relic.” Zouroff listened gloomily; he did not as yet believe her, yet a dark sense of jealousy began to burn in him as slow-matches burn—a little spark slowly creeping that in time will fire a city. It was scarcely jealousy so much as it was offense, and irritated credulity, and masterful possession stung by idea of invasion, | But as yet he believed nothing; he smiled a little moodily. i ‘“Your imagination runs away with you,” he said, curtly. Vere was sixteen years ol. when I married her; English girls, ma chere, do not have affairs at that age, evenif at thesame hour in France Cupid creeps behind the lexicons and missals.” _Jeanne de Sonnaz was angry in her turn. When she had been sixteen, at her convent she had been very near causing a terrible scandal with a young lieutenant of Chasseurs, whom her power- ful family succeeded in having discreetly ordered to Africa; she ran not thought that Sergius Zouroff knew aught of that silly old StOrye «*Y did not speak of Cupid, or of anything so demoralizing and demode,” she said, carelessly. ‘‘I know there was some story, I remember it very well, something romantic and graceful, of Correze and your wife, when she was a girl—a very young girl; I think he saved her life, I am not sure; but I know that she thinks him a guardian angel. Pray, cid you know that it was his interposition that sent N oisette back te Paris that day of our fancy-fair?” Zouroff swore a savage oath. ‘‘ What accursed interference! what insolent audacity! Are you sure?” ‘‘Correze ig as insolent as if he were a prince of the blood. More so; for they must please to reign, but he reigns to please— himself,” said Madame Jeanne, with a little laugh. “ Did you never know that ot Noisette? Oh, how stupid men are! I guessed it, and I found it out. Women always can, when they choose, find out anything. Correze is always taking the part of knight to your wife: he kills the dragons aad chases the robbers, and is always there when she wants him; did he not save het from the storm oft Villafranca?” f Zourofft paced to and fro the room, to the peril of the brim- borions and bric-a-brac. There was a heavy frown on his brows; — he remembered the storm off Villafranca only too well, since it kad preceded the song of the ‘‘ Golden Cup.” ‘‘T do not believe it,” he said, doggedly; and he did not. ‘¢ So much the better,”’ said his friend, dryly. ‘‘T always notice.” she added, after a little pause, “that very cynical and skepticalpeople (you are very skeptical and very cynical) never do believe in a simple truth that stares them in the face. I am_-not saying the least harm of your wife; where is the harm? She is of an exalted temperament; she takes life like a oem, like a tragedy; she is a religious woman, who really be- yieves in sins, just as our peasantry in ‘la Bretagne bretonnaate’ eomicbooks (e(@)