The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

eee 432 THE BRONZE STATUE. nest de Colmar, couching his lance and) umph in this combat, then must thou dashing the rowels into the sides of his either yield an assent to any conditions | charger, was borne suddenly forward| which the Kknemy of Mankind may 4 aie with the speed of the whirlwind. choose to dictate ; or else he will be Paha: Then, quick as the eye could wink, | enabled to claim thee as his own, bear Vil tod rea Hy the warriors met in thundering shock! | thee away from earth and all its enjoy- HES AES He ments, and plunge thee into the un- RG A known but terrible depths of his fiery Wee Huta realms !’ | pea CHAPTER XXXYV. The pouring of the cordial down De Bint Colmar’s throat, the sudden flaming up ie THE HEATH. ‘of the smouldering embers of memory, and the wild sweep of these startling Yes, dread was the collision ; and | recollections through his brain, all ' | — _ the very earth appeared to reel beneath | passed in much less than a minute ; the the hoofs of the mighty steeds; while resuscitation of life, the consciousness the clang of the spears on the shields of of defeat, and the sense of an appalling the combatants sounded’ with similar | peril to his immortal soul, were thus metallic din over the heath. pressed into one of those infinitesimal But the conflict was decided in a mo-| particles of time which show how an ment: for, whereas the lance of Sir | age of anguish and of torture may be Ernest de Colmar was shivered against | endured while the eye is winking thrice the buckler of his adversary, the strong- | or the heart is heaving and sinking er and stouter weapon wielded by the with a single respiration ! latter stood the violence of the tre- And over De Colmar bent the dread mendous shock and bore the knight from | being in his armor dark as jet, with the his charger. sable plumage waving above his helmet, Heavily fell the champion of the | and the vizor closed upon his counte- Daughter of Satan, and senseless he lay | nance. upon the ground, while his frightened Then, from behind that barred aven- steed dashed madly away and disap-|tayle,—from within that black helmet, peared in the surrounding darkness. as from the depths of a cavern in the From his own colossal black charger | bosom of a rock—came a voice which sprang the conqueror; and, bending|sounded fearful in its deep sonorous over Sir Ernest de Colmar’s prostrate |tones upon the ear of Sir Ernest de form, he unfastened and raised the Colmar. knight's barred vizor. The fresh air ‘Thou art mine, O presumptuous brought back signs of vitality to the} warrior!’ said the terrible conqueror; vanquished champion’s cheeks; his ‘and ‘tis by thine own act that thou lips quivered, although no word came hast made thyself over to me, body and forth, and slowly and languidly he|soul. Alike in the immortal spirit and opened his eyes. the mortal flesh hast thou become the Then the dread victor in the coal-} spoil and booty, the reward and trophy black armor fetched a small phial from | of my conquest. For ’twas love and a pouch hanging to the saddle of his|not mere friendship which prompted horse; and returning to the Austrian knight, who was still unable to move, | thee to take upon thyself the champion- ship of that woman whom I endowed though consciousness was coming back, with all the dark splendor and midnight he poured the contents of the bottle| glory of a supernal beauty. And as down De Colmar’s throat. A warm/|love is a passion containing much of and thrilling glow instantaneously sut-| selfishness, the impulse derived there- fused itself throughout his entire frame; from'made thy cause weak, and thou } and the powers of memory reviving as| wast conquered ; whereas, hadst thou suddenly as the physical energies, ac influenced only by friendship, comprehended in a moment where he | which is a feeling unalloyed with aught aad it was, how he came thither, the defeat|of the dross of human nature, thou 2 : which he had sustained, and the appal- | would’st have proved victorious. But I | ling consequences! i'made Satanais transcendently lovely WB Seta | For now, with the vividness of the | even from her birth, in order that she lightning flash darted athwart his soul) should never inspire the colder and the words of Satanais—those words | purer sentimentot friendship, but inva- t which said, ‘If heaven should desert | riably excite the enthusiasm of admira- thee and the power of hell should tri-! tion or the ardor of love. Thus was l comicbooks.com