Moths by Ouida — page 339: what you’re looking at

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

MOTHS. fon 835 broke up at Ruilhieres, she left Duc Paul with some men to slay the pheasants, and went, for the sake of little Claire, who was not strong, to Arcachon and to Biarritz. There Zouroff went occasionally when she would allow him. He went alone. He would no more have dared to take the mulattress or any other newer toy within sight of Jeanne de Son- naz, now, than he would have dared to take them into his Tsar- ina’s presence. He had insulted his wife, but he dared not insult his mistress. _ She spoke to him often of his wife. ‘“You cannot keep Vera in Poland all winter,” she said one day in the fragrant alleys of Arcachon, while Berthe and Claire played before them with little silk balloons. ‘*T shall do so,” he said, gloomily. ‘“‘Impossible! They will call you a tyrant, an ogre, a fiend. You must have her in Paris.” ‘* Not unless she receives you.” ‘Do not make me ridiculous, I beg of you,” she said, with some impatience. ‘‘ You mean, if she will consent not to receive Correze.”’ Zouroff was silent. He knew that he did not mean that. But it was the fiction which his ruler had set up between them. ‘‘That is why you have sent her to Szarisla,” continued Jeanne de Sonnaz. ‘‘ All the world knows that, though of course we put a fair face on it. The idea of talking of her not receiving me! If she did not receive me, Paul would have to shoot you, which would have its inconveniences—for you and Paul.” She laughed a little and impaled a blue butterfly on the sharp point of her tortoise-shell cane. Zouroff stillsaid nothing; a sort of vague remorse touched him for a moment, as little Claire, whose balloon was entangled in a shrub, cried out, ‘* Where is the princess? Why is she never with us now? She would get down my balloon. You are too cross.” Zouroff. released the toy, and said, roughly, ‘‘Run to your sister, Claire; you tease us.” ‘‘Madame Vera never said I teased,” said the child, sullenly, with a pout, as she obeyed, and joined her elder sister. ‘¢ Where is Correze ?” said her mother. ‘* Nom empeste /” swore Zouroff, ‘‘how should I know where a singer may be.” ‘‘Itis very easy to know where a great singer is. Comets are watched and chronicled. He was shooting in Styria, at Prince Hohenlohe’s, last month. Why do you not know? Do you have no reports from Szarisla?” ‘¢‘He is not there,” said Zouroff, angrily. He hated his wife, but he was jealous of her honor, even though it would, ina sense, have gratified him to beableto say to her, ‘‘ You are ne higher than the rest.” ‘‘ He may not be there,” said the Duchesse de Sonnaz, careless- ; fy. ‘On the other hand, it is not very far from Styria ¢o Poland, and he is singing nowhere in public this autumn, Are your rex ports to be trusted?” | Eomicboo Ks (a0)