Moths by Ouida — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

a0 | MOTHS. ‘¢There is the Chambree’s son?” she said, hesitatingly. ‘‘T know! But they will want such a dower, and Vere haa nothing,—nothing!” | ‘¢ But if she be a beauty?” ‘She will be beautiful; she won’t be a beauty; notinthe way men like now. She will always look cold.” ‘*Do they dislike that? Not in their wives, I think; my Gwen looks very cold,” said her friend, then added, with innocent impassiveness, ‘‘ You might marry her to Jura.” Lady Dolly laughed and colored. , ‘‘Poor Jack! He hates the very idea of marriage. I don’t think he will ever——”’ ‘¢ They all hate it,” said Lady Stoat, tranquilly. ‘‘ Butthey da it-when they are men of position; Jura will do it like the rest. What do you think of Serge Zouroff?” - Lady Dolly this time did not laugh; she turned white under- neath Piver’s bloom; her. pretty sparkling eyes glanced uneasily. ‘ Zouroff!” she repeated, vaguely, ‘‘ Zouroff!” ‘¢T think I should try,” answered Lady Stoat, calmly. ‘‘ Yes, I do think I should try. By the- way, take her to Felicite; you are going there, are younot? It would bea great thing for you, dear, to marry her this year; you would find it such a bore in the season; don’t I know what itis? And for you, so young as you are, to go to balls with a demoiselle a marier!—my poor little puss, you would die of it.” ‘‘T am sure I shall as it is!” said Lady Dolly; and her nerves gave way, and she cried. ‘‘Make Zouroff marry her, said Lady Stoat, soothingly, as if she were pouring out drops of chloral for a fretful child. ‘‘ Make Zouroff!” echoed Lady Dolly, with a certain intonation that led Lady Stoat to look at her quickly. ‘‘Has she done naughty things that she has not told me?” thought her confidante. ‘‘No, I do not fancy so. Poor little pussy! she is too silly not to be transparent.” Aloud, she said merely: **Zourott is middled-aged now; Nadine would be glad to see him take any one; she would not oppose it. He must marry some time, and I don’t know anybody else so good as he.” ‘‘ Good!” ejaculated Lady Dolly, faintly. She wasstill startled and agitated, and strove to hide that she was so. ‘‘Vere would never,” she murmured; ‘‘ you don’t know her; she is the most dreadful child——” ‘‘You must bring her to me,” said Lady Stoat. She was very successful with girls.- She never scolded them: she never ridiculed them; she only infiuenced them in a gentle, imperceptible, sure way, that little by little made them feel that love and honor were silly things, and that all that really mat- tered was to have rank, and to be rich, and to be envied by others. Lady Stoat never said this, never said, indeed, anything ap- roaching it, but all girls that she took any pains with learned i¢ y heart, nevertheless, as the gospel of their generation, Gcomicbooks (E(0)