Moths by Ouida — page 347: what you’re looking at

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

~~ MOTHS. ; 843 ‘You should not have come,” she said, with an effort: ‘‘I am alone here: it was ungenerous.” | The blood mounted to his face. ‘* Cannot you make excuse?” he murmured. ‘“‘I know what Russians are; I know what their tyrannies are; I trembled for you, I knew no rest night or day till I saw the walls of Szarisla, and then you passed by me in the woods in the snow, and I saw you were living and well; then I breathed again, then all the frozen earth seemed full of spring and sunshine. Forgive me; how could I lead my life singing in cities, and laughing with the world, while I thought you were alone in this hotbed of disaffec- tion, of hatred, of assassination, where men are no better than the wolves? For the love of heaven, tell me why you are here! Is if your husband’s madness or his vengeance?” She was silent still. Helooked at her, and stooped, and said very low, ‘*‘ You learned the truth of Jeanne de Sonnaz. Was it that?” She gave agesture of assent. The hot color came into her averted face. Correze stifled a curse in his throat. ‘‘It is a vengeance, then ?’ | ‘‘TIn a sense, perhaps,” she answered, with effort. ‘‘I will not receive her. I will never see her again.” ‘¢ And your banishment is her work. But why imprison your- self? If you resisted, you would have all Europe with you.” ‘‘T obey my husband,” said Vere, simply, ‘‘ and Iam in peace here.” ‘‘In peace? In prison! We spoke once of Siberia; this is a second Siberia, and he consigns you to it in your innocence, to spare the guilty! Oh, my God!” His emotion choked him as if a hand were at his throat; he gazed at her, and could have fallen at her feet and kissed them. ‘‘Noble people, and guiltless people, live in Siberia, and die there,” said Vere, with a faint smile. ‘‘Itis not worse for me than for them, and the spring will come some time, and the pea- santry are learning not to hate me ; it is a better life than that of Paris.” “But it is a captivity! You cannot leave it if you would ; he does not give you the means to pass the frontier.’ ‘‘He would prevent my doing so, no doubt.” | i “Ttisaninfamy! Itisaninfamy! Why will you bear it? why will you not summon the help of the law against it? ¥ ‘‘Tf a man struck you, would you call in the aid of the law? ‘*No. Ishould kill him.” ‘¢+ When Iam struck, I am mute: that is a woman’s courage. A man’s courage is vengeance, but ours cannot be.” — Correze sighed, a heavy, passionate, restless sigh, as under a weighty burden. ‘‘A man may avenge you,” he muttered. ‘‘No man has any t:tle.” she said, a little coldly. “‘I am the wife of Prince Zouroff.” Oho n A greater coldness than that of the ice-world without fell on the heart of her hearer. He did not speak for many (alo) cComicbooks