Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 201: what you’re looking at

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

18s ANGELINA: OR, terror, Horrible were the stories I had heard related of them, and in spite of all the firmuess I had at first assumed, it now vanished and gave plate to feelings of the utmost consternation. ve ““* Oh! for the love of heaven, spare me! save me!’ I screamed—‘ you caanot, you surely will not consign me to so horrible a fate. Rufus,am I not your wife ?—Has every spark of feeling or humanity become extinguishéd ‘im your bosom ?—Rather kill me, at once, put an end to my existence. than doom me to a fate I cannot contemplate without the most indescribable terror !? : ““ Away with her, I say,’ commanded De Morton, ‘ heed not her erfés! It is too late to repeat now, and she richly merits all that she may have te endure.’ “Once more in frenzied tones I shrieked for mercy ; but Rufus heeded me not, and seizing me by the hair of my head, he dragged me violently from the room, and in spite of my piercing cries, conveyed me down the steps, until we reached the dismal vaults beneAth the tower, the bare sight of which was sufficient to strike the beholder with the most unbounded feelings of horror, The dampness of the place struck a deadly chill to my heart the moment we entered it; and the foul air gathered around the lamp which Rufus carried in one hand, and near! y extinguished the light. | “* He stopped before the iron door of the dungeon in which you saw me, and throwing it open, thrust me in, at the same time exclaiming,— *** This is your fature apartment !—Here learn obedience to the will of your husband, and your master.’ . ‘** Oh, God!’ I cried, wringing my hands with distraction, ‘‘‘ you cannot be the monster to leave me in this horrible place !—Oh, reflect, relent; and rather plunge a knife in my heart, than consign me to a fate so terrible.’ “**You plead in vain, wowan,’ said the baron, ‘there is your pallet,’ pointing to a heap of straw in one corner of the wretched cell, ‘ and I bape you may enjoy a comfortable night’s repose.° “As the baron thus spoke, an ironical and demoniac grin overspread his features; and, beckoning to Rufus, they both hurried away, leaving me .in the dungeon without a light. With a phrenzied shriek I sunk upon the heap of straw ; and, as their last foot falls sounded hollowly in my ears, I fainted away. “ What a shocking night of suffering would it have saved me, had I re- mained in that happy state of insensibility ; but it was not long, at least, so far as I could judge, ere I was aroused to a full consciousness of my situation. The place was so dark, that I could not see the least thing in it, and so dread- fully cold, with the damps that clung to the walls of the dungeon, that my limbs shivered as though I was troubled with the ague, All areund was.as still as death, save when the wind whistled along the subterranean passages, and sounded like the agonised wailings of fiends in pargatory. What a terrible situation was I placed in, and how preferable did I imagine death would have been toit. I was ready to dash my head against the flinty walls, and end at once my misery ; but some inscrutable power seemed to withhold my arm. -l wrung my hands, and then groaned aloud with the power of my aa- guish, Lihrew myself on my knees and prayed fervently to heaven ta give GONMIG ROOKS o(GO)