Moths by Ouida — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

MOTHS | a and they have set up nothing in the stead of all they have de- stroyed, except a feverish frenzy for amusement and an idiotie imitation of vice. You cannot understand now, but you will see it—too soon! They will try to make you look like them. Do not let them succeed. You have truth, innocence, and serenity; treasure them. The women of your day will ridicule you, and tell you it is an old-fashioned triad, out of date like the Graces: but do not listen. It is a triad without which no woman is truly beautiful, and without which no man’s love for her can be pure. I would fain say more to you, but I am afraid to tell you what you do not know; and woe to those by whom such knowledge first comes. Mon enfant, adieu.” He had laid a bouquet of stephanotis and orchids on the sill of the window at her feet, and had dropped out of sight before she had realized his farewell. ** When she strained her eyes to look for him, he had already disappeared. Tears blinded her sight, and fell ean the rare blos- s0oms of his gift. ‘1 will try—I will try to be what he wishes,” she murmured to the,flowers. ‘‘If only I knew better what he meant.” Theytime soon came when she knew too well what he meant. Now she sat with the flowers in her lap, and wondered wearily, and sobbed silently, as if her heart would break. Correze was gohe, CHAPTER V. AT sunset Lady Dolly returned, out of temper. They had been becalmed again for two hours, the sea all of a sudden becoming like oil, just to spite her, and they had played to while away the time, and the grand duchess had won a great deal of her money, besides smoking every one of her cigarettes and letting the case fall through the hatchway. ‘¢{T will never go out with that odious Russian again—never! The manners of a cantiniere and the claws of a croupier!” she said, in immeasurable disgust, of the august lady whom she had idolized in the morning; and she looked in at the little study, when she reached home, to allay her rage with making some one uncomfortable. «‘ Are you sufficiently ashamed of yourself, Vere?” she said, as she entered. Vere rose, rather uneasily, and with soft, sad, dewy eyes, “< Why should Ibe ashamed, mother?” she said, simply. ‘6 Why? why? you ask why? after compromising yourself as you did this morning?” ‘“ Compromise?” - Vere had never heard the word. Women who were com- promised were things that had never been heard of at Bulmer. ‘‘Do not repeat what I say. It is the rudest things you can do,” said her mother, sharply. ‘‘ Yes, compromised, hideously, compromised,—and with Correze, of all persons in the worldi You must have been mad!” : Ecomicbhooks co