Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERY OF 8T, MARK’S ABBEY, 15 large door, with massive hinges, locks, and bolts, but which was standieg par- tially open. Here she paused, and meditated how to act. It was now evident to her that the passage led to some place of habitation or retreat, and the words of her dream recurred to her with greater fotce than ever. But what might be the character of these who could choose such a strange place as this fer an abode or refage ?—Perhaps robbers .or smugglers, who, doubtless, if they found her there, would, in self-protection, prevent her having the power, if abe had the inclination, of betraying their secret. She was nearly resolved to return and abandon her project, but still her‘curiosity prevailed over her fears, aad she was determined to run all hazards to gratify it. Hearing no noise beyond the door, she took courage, and peeped in, and found that it opened into another subterraneous passage, that seemed to be © beyond the chain of rocks, and dug out of the earth. It was very low, and was descended to by two or three broken steps. Angelina boldly threaded this gloomy passage, and found another door at the extremity closed. but it yielded with the slightest effort, and revealed to her a narrow dight of ruinous steps, that appeared to lead te a kind of corridor above. More astonished as she advanced, to find such places, apparently buried in the bowels of the earth, Angelina became completely insensible to fear in her anxiety to penetrate the mystery, and began to ascend the steps. This was a task of considerable difii- culty and danger, for they were very much broken, and she had nothing to lay hold of ; however, at last she arrived at the top, and fearlessly opened an iron door opposite to her, the key of which was ia the lock. She now found herself in a kiad of cell, in one corner of which was a straw mattress, and in another, ap old chair and a tabie. She was positive that tbe place had been lately occupied by some per- gon, and she began to imagine that the form she had seen had been no phantom, but some unfortunate human being who was either confined there by force, or had become disgusted with the world, and fled to that dismal place, to waste its declining days in solitude and meditation. As these thoughts passed rapidly in our heroine’s mind, she felt her resola- tion increase, and some instinctive power seemed to urge ber on, which she found it impossible to resist. She passed through « door on the other side of the cell, into a stone passage, arched over, and winding. Here she once more paused, for she thought she heard a footstep, and holding the lamp above her head, was almost certain that she saw a white object moving in the distance. Once more her fears predominated, end she turned round to hasten back into the cell, but to her surprise and consternation, found that the door had closed with = spring, aud resisted all her efforts to open it. Completely at a loss what to do, Angelina wrung. her hands in despair. and wpbraided herself for her imprudencc, in venturing upon such a wild aod dan- gerous undertaking; then again she tried to discover the secret spring, but 1a vain, the door was effectually closed upon her, and sbe had no means of retuin- ing by the way she had come. To remain where she was, however, without anv effort to escape, would be the height of folly 3 she therefore determines to pur- sue her way along this passage with the hope of finding some outlet. Witna palpitating hea: t, she traversed its narrow and intricate windings, fegqucat-v pausing as the wind in hollow murmurs whistling through the place, to fe: G@it- érdered imagination sounded like the dismal moans of some troub.ea spirit; CORNICE DO© Go