Moths by Ouida — page 372: what you’re looking at

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

a 368 | MOTHS. He drove through the brilliant streets of Paris at midnight and shut his eyes tothe familiar scenes with a heart-sick weari- ness of pain. He loved cette bon ville de Paris, which had smiled on him, played with him pampered him, as a mother her favorite child; which always lamented his departure when he left it, which always welcomed him with acclamation when he returned. He-loved it with affection, with habit, with the strength of a thousand memories of his glory of __ his pleas ure, of his youth; yet, as he drove through it, almost he cursed it ; it sheltered the vices of Sergius Zouroff and worshiped his wealth. He entered the club of the Grand Circle after the opera. He wished to gather tidings of Zouroff and of what the world said ef his wife in her exile. . Inone of the rooms Zouroff was seated; his hat was on the tabl¢ beside him; he was speaking with the Marquis de Merilhac. AS Correze entered, Zouroff rose and put his hat on his head.. ‘Let us go to aclub where there are no comedians,” he said, na loud voice to the Marquis de Merilhas, and went out. It was an insolence with intention: in the Ganashes men keep their heads uncovered. All who were present looked at Correze. He took no notice. He spoke to his old acquaintances; the insult had no power to move him, since he had so long kept his arm motionless and his lips mute for her sake. | Some men who knew him well and were curious, made a vague apology for the Russian prince. ‘‘ He is jealous,” they added, with alittle fatuous laugh. ‘‘ You come from Poland!’ ‘‘T have sung in Moscow and Warsaw,” said Correze, with an accent that warned them not to pursue the theme. ‘‘ And it is true,” he added, witha grave coldness that had its weight from one so careless, so gay, and so facile of temper as he was—‘‘it is true that ina part of Poland: the Princess Vera Zouroff does live on one of her husband’s estates, devoting herself to the poor, bes cause she prefers solitude and exile to receiving as her friend the widow of. Paul de Sonnaz, the sister of Herve de Merilhac,” For the moment, such is the immediate force of truth, no one laughed. ‘lhere was the silence of respect. | Then they spoke of his return, of the opera that night, of his stay in Vienna, of all the topics of the hour then occupying the scarcely-opened salons of Paris. No man in the Ganaches was ete eta to speak again, in his presence, of the Princess our off. “Why did you insult Correze?” said the Marquis de Merilhac, as Zouroff passed on with him to the Rue Scribe. ‘1 do not choose to be in the same club with a singer,” answered Zourofi, with rough impatience. | ‘* But hs belongs to half the great clubs of Europe.” , ‘‘Then I will insult him in half of them. You may have heard, i fait la cour a ma femme,” : wiht ‘com (e 00 <S com ”