Moths by Ouida

*Moths* by Ouida This serialized novel by Ouida (pseudonym of Maria Louise Ramé) opens at the fashionable seaside resort of Trouville. Lady Dolly, a witty, frivolous woman of thirty-four, enjoys gambling, flirtation, and high society despite mounting debts, yet finds herself distressed by the imminent arrival of her sixteen-year-old daughter. Her chief adviser Jack suggests marriage as the solution. Lady Dolly spends her day at the beach with various admirers, notably the Duc de Dinant, gossiping about scandals and planning a barefoot peasant-themed picnic. As she prepares to leave for breakfast, the crowd's attention suddenly shifts to a mysterious new arrival wearing simple brown holland—something strikingly beautiful and unadorned amid the resort's extravagant fashions. The narrative establishes a contrast between Lady Dolly's shallow, pleasure-seeking world and this enigmatic newcomer.