The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 187: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. ‘I mean that she was murdered and thrown into the river,’ rejoined the Carthusian. ‘Murdered !’ repeated the Baroness. ‘Tl indeed fancied, from what you said, that she might have been accidentally drowned / ‘No—she was murdered — foully murdered!’ interrupted the Carthusian. | ‘But who could have done this?’ ex- claimed the Baroness Hamelen. ‘Sister Marietta, or Gloria, as she calls herself,’ returned the priest, in a Jew and gloomy tone. ‘ And the proof, here it is!’ he added, producing from beneath his garments the long flexible poniard which had*been extricated from the bosom of Dame Martha’s corpse. The Baroness instantly took the weapon—examining it with a nervous and agitated eagerness——and, returning it to the Carthusian, said, ‘ Yes, that indeed is Gloria’s poniard! But is she now acting on the offensive towards us? If so ——’ And the lady’s trepidation became so great that it choked her utterance. ‘I can scarcely believe that she will so far disregard her tremendous oath,’ observed the priest, ‘ as to communicate all and everything to Zitzka ‘Oh! heaven forbid!’ exclaimed the Baroness, her whole frame convulsing with terror at the bare thought of such acasualty. ‘Were that monster and his savage hordes once let loose upon us, what chance of escape should we have? what mercy could we expect? Oh! better, better far were it to be chased even by blood-hounds through the track- less forest, than to become the prey of the ruthless ‘T'aborites!’ ‘Tranguillise yourself, lady,’ said the priest; ‘and let us not abandon our- selves to despair. Five days have elapsed since Dame Martha was miss- ing; five days, then, have passed since Gloria murdered her. In the interval nothing more has been done by that in- comprehensible being—no farther proof has she given of a design to act upon the offensive. From this fact I deduce hopes favorable to ourselves; and per- haps it was ina moment of passion—or may be in consequence of some dispute arising from a sudden meeting between them—that Gloria made away with the old woman.’ ‘And you discovered her corpse in the river?’ said the baroness, musing nervously upon the indistinct dangers which seemed to be menacing her. ‘At more than two days journey from —— - Mig mtr et i ef pa 3 185 eet ot ge — * Prague, while proceeding with the pages to Altendorf Castle, did | find the body,’ answered the priest. ‘The current had borne it along to that dis- tance, as if Providence were determin- ed to throw it in my way, either as @ warning to ourselves or that so foul a murder might be terribly avenged !’ ‘And, if.I mistake not,’ observed the | Baroness Hamelen, ‘ Dame Martha was °F engaged on special business for your- iy self, holy father, at the time when she se thus met her death ?” mi ‘It was so,’ replied the priest. ‘On | that evening when she met me at the ; hostel near the heath, I encountered at : the same place and at about the same Ris | time a young woman named Angela \. a Wildon. ‘This maiden, of great beauty ite a and innocence, is beloved by Lord Ro- ae dolph; and the young nobleman is so | deeply infatuated with the object of his engrossing passion, that although she is nothing more than a peasant-girl and of the humblest condition, he would make her his wife rather than lose all chance of possessing her. A short time ago she was his prisoner in Altendorf Castle, where I happened to see her; and on meeting her again the other night at the village-hostel, I instantaneously re- cognised her. It struck me that she had escaped from Altendorf Castle, and that she had journeyed to so great @ distance in order to avoid the persecu- tion and importunity of Lord Rodolph. For she loves him not, it appears , + And in what manner does this affair regard you,’ deinanded the baroness, impatiently, ‘or so long a story regard me ?” ‘Listen, dear lady,’ said the priest; ‘and you shall judge whether | had any reason to trouble myself concerning this Angela Wildon. I have already told you howI met her at the hostel ; andas she is surpassingly beautiful, I fancied that she would become no unworthy ad- dition to the brilliant galaxy of earthly houris shining within these walls. Nay, more, I was well aware that the’ Baron of Altendorf, if made acquainted with all the circumstances respecting his son’s love for the maiden, would be deeply grateful to us for rendering her an inmate of this mansion, and thus raising up between herself and Lord Rodolph a barrier which the young no- ‘ae bleman himself would consider insuper- able, should he chance to encounter her again. With these views in my mind, I dropped certain hints to Angela at the hostel, to the effect that I would under- > Ai ~_? ' . Se eset: Tee » & am = comicbooks.com