The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

110 THE BRONZE STATUE. hands and pressed them with grateful | ousness, ‘than suffer our first-born babe fervor to. their lips: then, fixing their | to lose its soul.” eyes upon his countenance, they await-| ‘Ildirim offered no farther remon- ed in trembling suspense until he should} strance ; and Heraclius, bidding him explain the meaning of the words which | kneel at his feet, prayed long and fer- he had uttered and the hopes which he | vently once more. ‘The King repeated had given. the interecessions which fell from the #« My dear children,” he at length lips of the pious Armenian, and which said, “for as children are ye; with re-| Were also echoed by Almeria. Then, | gard to me, in age and in experience, | 19 due form, but without ceremony, did -and the misfortune which menaces | /idirim vow and devote his yet unborn “your happiness, endears you to me by child to the service of heaven; and as all the ties of sympathy and compassion, | the last words of the solemn dedication listen well to the words which [ am a- | fell from his lips, a sound as of the rush bout to speak. ‘The first-born child of }Of mighty but invisible wings swept your marriage has been vowed to Satan, | through the apartment—the atmos- and Satan will not forget to claim his | phere prew suddenly heated, hea victim ; for, alas! long even before it | #2d oppressive—the light burnt with a was conceived by its mother, has the | /urid flame, and then a low but plainly eoming babe been doomed to rank a- audible peal of demoniac laughter smote mongst the Children of Darkness. But | the startled ears of [ldirim the King, Al- the same paternal oath which thus fore-| ™meria the Queen, and Heraclius the— doomed it, may now dedicate that child | Priest.’ to (sod ; and, inasmuch as it will there- | \ by become one of the Children of Light | a even before its birth, the service of | heaven will claim preference to that of hell. In this manner will the machina- tions of the Evil One be defeated, and the child saved from the appalling des- MG ae tiny unto which it is at present devoted. we > + - — - . - — _ a ~~ Ss or =<. . — = ~~ -~ - = ~~ ae = — J , a +. rar fi “ » F: = h ee 3 ee se 2 ay — > _= = = —< — —— ; = — ~ P=: -: ~~ ae 25° = - — = _s — a —— . jt. eS : ion So _ — ~ ~ a $ - a ——- ws CHAPTER XXX. CONTINUATION OF THE SATANAITIS. HISTORY OF : Hearken, then, O Ildirim! while I speak more plainly still: for your queen already comprehends me clearly. J mean that if you wish to rescue your first-born from the power of Satan, you must dedicate it to the service of hea- ven: so that if be a son, you must con- sign him at the proper age toa monas- tery, and ifit be a daughter, you must consent to immure her in a convent.” ‘« But my people will demand that the heir to the throne be not taken from ‘ Monrus passed away, and at length the time arrived when queen Almeria was to become a mother. The inhabi- tants of the metropolitan city had alrea- dy made immense preparations to cele- brate the event; and couriers were in readiness to convey the intelligence to the governors of the provinces. The queen herself, placing a full and impli- cit reliance upon all that Heraclius had done in order to defeat the purposes of Satan, was contented, cheerful and full of hope ; but Ildirim, being a Mahome- tan and consequently, less sanguine im the efficacy of a christian’s advice, was tortured with innumerable fears. He however concealed the state of his feel- Ings as well as he was able, not only for the sake of Almeria, whom he loved so tenderly, but because it would have ap- peared strange in the extreme, had he manifested agloomy aspect on such an occasion. For, as yet, I must observe, a . + seo been breathed rela- ive to the dedicat 5 ‘It shall be as you wish my well-| babe to the Chiletiaastemregd ean: beloved,” answered Ildirim, raising her} vice of heaven: the secret r os" up and embracing her tenderly, ** but I; with the Kine the Queen ‘d Her tremble lest the result should be the loss | clius. is oT uate ~ 99 . es . of my throne. | ‘The crisis arrived, and the palace | ~ ’ ak iY ] a? 7 ray . : ’ { t? - : . - he ; ¢ ‘ +i 4 4] ' - » e 4 t 4 { ’ eh ’ ; a | ad j \i' Be 4 ; s : ; 4 ' ? : { a 7 tS . (an : Pi : a * PY | af 13 ‘a q p , ¢ + rending anuish. +‘ And if. your majesty yields to the people in that instance,” replied the Armenian solemnly, ‘*’tis the same as surrendering up your first-born to Sa- tan.’ *** Oh! my dear husband,’? murmur- ed Almeria, throwing herself at the king’s feet, ‘I implore you to hearken to the counsel of this holy man and fol- low his advice in all that he has said.” LT ee ee et a —— oS SS al “- = ——<Sa0 m . — 2 om — om a - - oe ~ —— Oe ee ee ee ae eee - iv + . a —, es =" hd - _ -~ - a a4 =~ - ae -. ~~ - e them !” exclaimed Ildirim, in a tone of i FSH . oe --_ a & 66 Bettor to lose the throne,” rejoin- | was thronged with the great dignitaries ed Almeria, in a voice of plaintive seri- | of the kingdom. Trade and commerte - — ~~, * — - * o - y i - - * Oe AU em ems Clie woe tg me Or ee ee + hed - comicbooks.com