This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘Moths by Ouida - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Collected Works of Ouida’.Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Ouida includes original annotatio...

In "Othmar," Ouida delves into the complexities of aristocratic life and the moral dilemmas faced by its characters. Set against a backdrop of opulent European landscapes, the novel is notable for its lush, descriptive prose and its keen psychological insights. Combining melodrama with elements of social commentary, Ouida weaves a narrative that critiques the rigid structures of society and the personal sacrifices demanded by duty and honor. The interplay of romance and tragedy in "Othmar"...

In "Under Two Flags," Ouida weaves a captivating tale of love, loyalty, and the clashes of cultural identities against the backdrop of the North African desert. The novel showcases her signature lush prose and keen character development, reflecting the Victorian fascination with exotic locales and the complexities of human emotion. Through the vivid depiction of its protagonist, Sir Lionel, entangled in the tumultuous struggle between duty and desire, the reader is drawn into an intricate ...

Set during the Second French Empire and the Crimean War, "Under Two Flags" tells the story of the dashing and enigmatic British officer, Bertie Cecil, who leaves his regiment to join the French Foreign Legion. He adopts the name "Châteauroy" and serves in the Legion, where he becomes involved in various adventures, including love affairs and acts of heroism. Throughout the novel, Bertie grapples with questions of honor, identity, and loyalty.The novel explores themes of honor, sacrifice, a...

Ouida's society tales glitter with wit, vanity, and peril, moving through French gardens, Versailles salons, and polished drawing rooms where rank and romance collide. A dead priest beneath the limes, a grieving dog, and a marquise who receives murder with tears, perfume, and chocolate set the tone for a world in which elegance conceals moral decay and passion can turn fatal. Across the collection, titled flirtations, matchmaking schemes, chaperones, generals, and would-be lovers expose th...

This richly varied volume gathers three works by Ouida, whose fiction is known for its vivid style, emotional force, and keen eye for social nuance. A House-Party unfolds in an aristocratic country-house world where polished hospitality conceals rivalry, money troubles, class anxiety, and marital unease, while Brandolin's wit and charm stir both admiration and deeper feeling. A lyrical poem within the narrative and the heroine's startled response add a note of tenderness and devotion, enri...

A guardsman takes the blame for a forgery to protect his brother, enlists under another name in the French cavalry in Algeria, and is loved by Cigarette, the girl who rides with the regiment. Ouida wrote it in her twenties and it was read by every subaltern in the British army. This edition binds 57 plates after John Leech, Gustave Caillebotte and Édouard Manet, with three restored and coloured illustrations in the text.

In glittering Floralia, a city of beauty gone stale beneath fashion, money, and social pretension, Lady Hilda Vorarlberg arrives as its most dazzling contradiction. Rich, exquisitely cultivated, and fiercely self-possessed, she despises vulgarity and boredom in equal measure, yet cannot escape either; even her luxury-filled rooms at the Hôtel Murat only sharpen her restlessness. Admired by all, scandal has never touched her, guarded by wealth and by the loyal bluntness of her brother, Lord...

In the shadowed woods of Le Selve, poverty, custom, and ancient privilege collide with devastating force. A dying peasant is left uncared for by his own family, and the young steward Cyrille arrives too late to save him, confronting a world where burial costs matter more than mercy and institutions have long abandoned the poor. His outrage only deepens the sense of menace as he moves through the forest roads, where isolation, superstition, and lawlessness shape every human relation. Cyrill...

In the glittering rooms and public spaces of London, Wilfrid Bertram wages war on property, privilege, and the complacency of the rich. Armed with fervent lectures on altruism, collectivism, vegetarianism, and universal labor, he insists that money, inherited wealth, and class distinction are the roots of social injustice and must give way to a new order of shared duty and common good. But Bertram's radical vision is delivered to an audience of witty aristocrats, skeptical relatives, and p...

Princess Nadine Napraxine rules her world with dazzling wit, icy self-possession, and a gift for turning every conversation into a contest of intelligence and power. Before luncheon she has already made herself the center of a glittering social circle, sparring with Prince Napraxine, Lady Brancepeth, and Monsignore Melville over finance, morality, sympathy, and the absurdities of society, while revealing how little room she allows for tenderness. Yet beneath her polished irony lies somethi...

Princess Napraxine glitters with the polish of late-Victorian society while probing the private wounds beneath its elegance. In Paris, the Hôtel Othmar becomes the center of gossip, ambition, and political speculation as Yseulte, once convent-bred and self-effacing, is transformed into a dazzling hostess under Othmar's protection. Yet her generous nature still reaches toward kindness, duty, and sacrifice, even as Friederich Othmar bluntly strips away her sentimental illusions and warns her...