The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 103: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. 101 vow, by the moon that smiles upon us | the sickle twice a year, and the choicest and by the heaven which is above us, | fruits sprang forth spontaneously from by them 1 vow that if you have wrongs | the fertile soil. Inno otherregion upon i b . to redress, I will become your cham-| the earth did vegetable nature array her- self in a more gorgeous garniture ; flow- pion—aye, even though the awful mys- tery which now envelopes thee be con-| ers of all hues embroidered the fields nected with the powers of hell itself.’ | and filled the air with perfume ; and in ‘Again I tell you, Ernest, that you| the emerald groves the yellow orange, know not what you say !’ cried Satanais, ‘the glowihg pomegranate, the purple now throwing her arms about his neck, | grape, and the vermeil peach, gleamed and clinging to him, not with the fervor | in such abundance thatit appeared as if ot passion, but as if to protect him gems had been showered amidst the against some evil influence, which she | trees to form the fruitage of every bough. could perceive, but which was invisible | ‘I'he almond howers, scattered by the to him. passing breath of the gentle zephyr, lent ‘ Adorable creature !’ he exclaimed, | a delicious fragrance to the atmosphere pressing his lips to her dark but smooth | of the cities ; and in the gardens where and polished forehead ; ‘ there is no sa-| clustering acacias formed refreshing erifice that I would not make, no danger | bowers, the bird of love was wont to that I would not incur, for your sake.’ | sing throughout the livelong day. ‘Then listen to my tale of mystery ‘The King of this lovely land was and horror,’ she said, suddenly disen-| named Ildirim, which means ‘* The gaging herself from his embrace, and | Lightning.’ From the moment of his throwing upon him a look that flashed | birth until the eighteenth year of his with indescribable gratitude, tenderness | age, he had been kept a close prisoner, and love. ‘But prepare to hear a nar-| according to usage, in the royal palace ; rative that will make your hair stand on | his ideas of the great busy world being end, and the blood curdle in your veins.’ | thus limited to the instruction which he The beautiful creature paused for a| received from his tutors, and his ac- few moments, and they walked slowly | quaintance with the charms of nature along the moonlit terrace. At length, | being circumscribed to the gardens in having cast a rapid glance around, and| which he was permitted to ramble at holding the hand of De Colmar some- | stated hours, and to the pleasure-grounds what tighter, she commenced her his- | where he indulged in equestrian exer- story ina slow, measured, and solemn cise. ‘Thus, when the Ministers. Gran- tone. dees, and High Dignitaries of the King- dom one day appeared in his presence, prostrated themselves at his feet, and informed him that, as his father had : ' | ! | —— — -—— CHAPTER XXVIII. just breathed his last, he was now lord _|and ruler of that fair realm, the youth THE HISTORY OF SATANAIS. felt as if he were entering upon a new existence in another and a different ‘Far, far away in that oriental clime sphere. Clothed in the richest robes, which seems like a rich domain belong- | he took his seat upon the throne, while ing to the palace of the Sun, there was | the palace resounded with acclamations a kingdom where the lavish hand of| that were caught up by the multitudes Nature and the ingenuity of Man had assembled outside; and thence the accumulated every element of luxury, | thrilling cries spread, with increasing grandeur, and magnificence. ‘The mighty enthusiasm, unto the remotest corners cities swarmed with inhabitants remark | of the sovereign city. ‘Thus was Ildi- able for beauty and wisdom ; the sons of | rim proclaimed King at the tender age that region were tall and dignified as} of eighteen. gods, the daughters lovely and enchant-| ‘ Leaving the administration of affairs ing as houris. The domes of the pala-| to the Ministers whom he found in of- ces and the pinnacles of the temples| fice, the new monarch immediately were sheathed with burnished gold ; in| abandoned himself to a career of lux- the public squares crystal fountains | ury and dissipation. He appeared de- played and leapt in vast basins of solid | termined, now that he was his own silver ; and the shrines and altars gleam-| master, to indemnify himself for the ed with countless gems. Poverty was| years of restraint, frugality, and inno- unknown in that delicious land, where| cence which he had hitherto passed ; the golden harvests yielded their crop to | and in this disposition he was encour- comicbooks.com