Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

S ANGELINAS$ OR, The scene harmonized with Angelina's feelings, aad she walked on indulging in poetic thoug lit. Absorbed in the pleasing delusions of fancy, she had proceeded a consider- able distance in a wrong path before she perceived her error. The day having closed, and the nioon more faintly glimmering through the trees, awakened her to recollection. She would instantly have gone back, but that would pro- long ber walk and retard her return. A break in the path’ she was now in led directly to the sea-beach, and this having gained, she thought she could find her way by another route to the cottage, bat she looked for anything like a road in vain. A sudden cloud now obscured the moon, and spreading gloom darkened the atmosphere. A sultry heat filled the air, while the rising breeze over the dis- tant ocean foretold the coming storm. Unable to form any decisive plan, Angelina ran forward, and finding a path among the rocks, struck into it, hoping it would lead towards her home, but in vain did she look around for some familiar ohject to direct her wandering steps. Her eyé could not penetrate through the increasing darkness of the night. Slowly and fearfully she moved on ; the wind increased, and the waves dashed temultuously against the rocks. The thunder now rolled; the rain poured in torrents, and the lightning flash- yng along the horizon, discovered a small cavity in a huge rock, into which An- gelina crept for shelter. The place widened the farther she advanced into it, and presented to her eyes, as welf as the lightning occasionally permitted her to see, a spacious cavern, evidently the work of nature. To the right and left, several subter- « raneous passager or narrow caverns opened, which filled the mind of Angelina, at first with apprehension, for she began to think it was some smuggter's retreat, and she doubted not bat that if they diecovered her there, she would either fall a sacrifice to their suspicions, or be subjected to their brutality and lewd ribaldry. Impressed with this idea, she was about to quit the cavern, notwithstanding the storm was raging with :edoubled vicicnce, but listening, and hearing no other sounds bat the wind howling through the hollow cavities, and the waves dashing furiously against the rocks, she took courage, and resolved tou remain where she was until the storm had abated, Angelina was very much concerned at the alarm her absence from home at such a late hour, and in such a storm, would excite in the bosom of her friends, and often did she cast her eyes wistfully across the troubled surface of the ocean, with the hope of seeing some symptoms of the tempest subsiding ; but still did it rage with frightful fury, the billows rolling their infuriated crests to the clouds, and the thuoder rattling, and the lightning blazing _=_ar the hori- von, rendered the terrors of the scene complete. About half an hour had elapsed in this manner, when Angelina thought she heard a rustling noise behind her, and turning round, her attention was attracted to a faint glimmering light, which streamed from one of the smaller caverus before inentioned. The maiden trembled with apprchension, and scarcely knew how to act; to fly the cavern would, probably, expose her to great danger from any of the gang, (to which she firmly believed the cavern formed a haunt,) lurking out COMIC OOOlKS.€O