The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 185: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. two female dependants, at the moment when the party, being mounted on horseback, set off on a gallop from the picturesque cemetery. The knight was blindfolded by the hood of the ecclesiastical gown which | he had put on in compliance with the lady’s hastily whispered entreaty; and the journey was prosecuted in total si- lence. As on the occasion when Fa- | ther Cyprian was his guide, De Colmar | observed that several useless zigzag. movements and circuitous windings | were made, evidently to mislead him as to the real distance of the place of destination: but the ride, instead of| lasting upwards of an hour and a half) as it did in the other case, was now brought to a conclusion in little more than an hour. Then the party halted for a few mo- | ments ; the knight heard a massive gate | swing slowly round on its groaning| hinges, and the hoofs of the horses, | once more urged forward, rang upon a stone pavement. The portal closed with a resounding din; the knight was assisted to dismount; the cowl was re- moved from his eyes, and he found him- self, as he had suspected, in the middle of that same spacious court-yard which was so familiar to his memory. But, assuming looks of admiration and | delight as he gazed around on the mar- | ble’ buildings, with their windows of| Gothic shape and stained glass, Sir Er- | nest de Colmar complimented the lady | upon the handsome appearance of the | dwelling to which she had escorted him; | and the baroness, little suspecting that | her guest had not only been there, but) that he now knew where he was and | likewise who she was, smiled sweetly | upon him as she led the way into the | handsome hall. There she consigned him to the care of two elegantly-dressed pages, who escorted him up the splendid staircase to the toilette-chamber, on the thresh- old of which they left him with an in- timation that he would have ample lei- sure to attire himself in a suitable rat- ment ere the festivities of the night should commence. Here we wust leave Sir Ernest de Colmar for a short space, while we re- turn to the Baroness Hamelen. This lady, upon handing over the knight to the care of the pages, as just mentioned, proceeded toa boudoir fit- ted up in a most gorgeous and voluptu- ous manner: and there, assisted by four beautiful handmaidens, did she ex- ——e ‘of light as if to display the snowy stain- jas she reclined upon the voluptuous ‘and caresses of yout _- ~~ EL et at 183 ll oa? —_ change the apparel in which she, bad been out that day, for a costume the richness and elegance of which were perfectly queen-like. ‘The diamonds that glistened on that robe of purple velvet, were of incalculable price; and on the corsage of the magnificent dress the galaxy of gems shed forth u blaze . a - ea SS snare SEs 2 eee OS hg he see yee, Se 2° t ‘ . 5 lessness of the bosom that was half ex- Upon the lady’s rich brown | hair the attendants placed a tiara formed Pe of similarly precious stones and diffus- iS ing around the same glorious lustre ; p posed. iand thus enveloped, as it were, in a , ae halo of refulgence, the Baroness Ha- melen appeared like an imperial sultana couch where her head-dress was ar- ranged by the skilful) hands of her tire- | maids. i: | We have already stated that though Oe in her fortieth year, this lady was en- dowed with a loveliness so well pre- served that she was fully capable of in- spiring all the passion which the looks hfnl beauties are wont to excite in the susceptible heart. Time, in passing over her head, had developed into voluptuous grandeur those charms that must have been ra- vishing indeed in the days of her early womanhood, but her form, while ex- panding into the richest contours, had but taken a different style of symmetry —__the lines becoming more flowing and the traits more softly rounded. And when we observe that her teeth were as perfect and as brilliantly white as when they shone in the sunny smiles of youth’s spring-tide—that her lips were full and of arich red—that her breath was as fragrant as the fresh air of early morn when the spring-flowers are opening—tbat her complexion was dazzlingly fair—and that her eyes were of the deepest blue—when we enume- rate all these attractions, the reader will perceive that the Baroness Hame- len was indeed, as we have represented her on a former occasion, in every re- spect a splendid woman. [t was about half-past ten o’clock on the evening when the magnificent tol- lette of this lady was accomplished : and she was just partaking of some slight refreshment, whenapage knocked at the doorof the boudoir to announce that Father Cyprian had just arrived at the mension and demanded an immedi- ate interview with the Baroness. ‘This ae | message was instantareously conveyed ff to the noble lady by the handimaiden ‘lar ° : - ~~ ——— comicbooks.com