Moths by Ouida — page 334: what you’re looking at

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

SSO Tera sie MOTHS. ‘‘T shall go for myself. You area brute, you are an idiot; you understand nothing. I will be summoned. Paul can be ill, or Ruilhieres on fire—something, anything, so that noone knows,” ‘‘ You shall not go; she will humilate me; she wil] think——” ‘“What dol care for your humiliation? I care to avert my own. Pshaw! Do you suppose I would stay an hour in this house if your wife were out of 1t? Do you suppose I would risk my good name and make myself a scandal to the Faubourg? Good heavens ! how little you know me after all these years! I shall obey your wife and go; she is the soul of honor in |:er own odd way. She will say nothing if Igo. My name shai! not serve her as a chisel to cut her fetters. Oh, what fools men are, what dolts, what mules! Why could you not bring her note to me, and ask me what to do? Instead you must go and strike her. Do you suppose her women will not know? An accident. Who believes inaccidents? All the house will know it before noon. Oh, imbe- cile! You would marry a young saint, a creature from another world, it was sure to end like this. Go, go! or my women will see you, and it will be worse ; go, and in a minute or two I shall send you word that Paul is dying. Go! Thank you? no, why should I thank you? I never bade you be cruel to your wife or strike her; I always bade you treat her as a saint. She is one, though how long i ‘* | struck her because she insulted you.” ‘She was right enough to insult me; she is more right still when she insults you. Now go!” ' / Nye With sullen subjection he went; he learned what gratitude - was from the women of his world. In half anhour’s time there was some confusion in the well-ordered household of Felicite, for the Duchesse de Sonnaz, her children, their servants and her own, ~ were departing in hot haste: it was said that Monsieur le Duc was lying ill of sunstroke,at their chateau of Ruilhieres, in the department of Morbihan. | ‘ Lying sick and blind on her bed, Vere heard the sound of the horses’ feet. ‘It is Madame la Duchesse who is leaving,” said her maid, who from the other side of the closed door had hecrd all that had — passed between Sergius Zouroff and his wife. Vere said nothing. It was the first day of shooting; there was a great breakfast, to which many sportsmen of the neighborhood came; there were battues on a large scale in the woods; there were noise and move- ment and the sound of many steps throughout the chateau, and out on the terrace, under her windows: now and then she heard her husband’s voice ; then after awhile all was still; there was the echo of distant shots from the woods, that was all. The day wore away. Her women told the ladies of the house-party that the princess had a severe headache from a fall. Toward evening she rose and was dressed. The pain had fulled in a measure, and the faintness had passed away. She wished to avoid comment, to cover the departure of Jeanne de — $Sonnaz. Under the pale-yellow roses of the bouquet at her bosom there was a broad, black bruise. The evening passed as usual. 4 ae | ' | “ €omicbooks.co : é , : SP bg hy ae 7 | , i ¢ 1 oF fe > a 4