The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 223: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. crime, whichever it may really be. For you are too young to die now—and to die, too, by the hand of the executioner Oh! no--that may not be! You must have time to repent of your mis- deeds and to combat against that ap- palling doom which thus makes a mock- ery of your very name and turns into diabolical ridicule the appellation of Daughter of Glory! Yes, poor fallen angel that thou art,’ added the Knight, compassionately, ‘there is something so strangely romantic and so appallingly mysterious in your destiny that I feel it were an injustice to treat you as an or- dinary mortal and judge you by the usual standard of human ideas. Oh: would it not almost seem as if the infer- nal power which until lately ruled the fate of Satanuis, had grasped hold of thee 7?—would it not almost appear as if thou and thy sister had changed posi- tions and places in the world, in every thing save innames? Yes—yes—it must be so: and, deeply—deeply as | loathe the crime which thou hast per- petrated—yet do I as profoundly pity thee!’ ‘Sir Ernest,’ said Gloria, in a tone which denoted profound feeling—and she’ bent down her lustrous eyes as she spoke—‘I thank you sincerely Oh! God only knows how sincerely—for the kindness, the forbearance, and the con- sideration which mark your language and your conduct towards me. but grant me your patience for a few mi- nutes—and listen attentively to what | am about to say. The terrible tragedy of this night has placed yow in a position which suggests two questions relative to myself. The first is how you can pos- sibly fulfil that condition of your com- pact which commands you to escort me to Vienna; and the second is, whether you shall permit justice to take its pro- per course in respect to the deed—the lamentable deed—whose victim is there;’ —and she pointed shudderingly towards the bed, but without turning her eyes in the same direction. ‘Upon those two points, hear what I have to observe. And, in the first place, it must necessa- rily strike you that if any attempt be made on my part to escape suspicion on account of this crime, the result will be either that I shall fail in such en- deavor and draw down on myself the suspicion I may thus wish to avoid—or that this suspicion will fall on an inno- cent person, whom circumstantial evi- dence may involve in its mesh and ulti- mately destroy. ‘ Secondly, to conceal and that I already foresee the certainty 221 the crime is impossible: for even if the sudden disappearance of the youth in the middle of the night could be ac- counted-for by any pretext, the bed- x clothes would tell the tale of blood—and there is no time to efface the sanguine stains! It is therefore necessary that the deed should be avowed—yes, avow- ed openly and frankly—avowed by me ‘And the consequences, Gloria—oh! the consequences!’ exclaimed De Col- mar, powerfully excited. ‘Fear nothing on that score! said the beauteous creature, now raising her eyes and glancing for a moment upon the knight’s anxious, agitated cuounte- nance. ‘I assure you, beyond all pos- sibility of doubt, that I shall escape from whatever danger may menace me, " *. a sae so —. ’ ® a » a * . -__- ~ he 4 . » : oz om : 7 * = 5 ~~ eap ~ ot er 28 tte a ..t- a * of a prompt egress from the temporary difficulties in which an avowal of the crime may plunge me. You therefore perceive how necessary it is, for many reasons, that the truth should be told fearlessly and at once,’ added Gloria, in a firm tone and with resolute manner, ‘yes, it is necessary to save you from a suspicion that would be worse to me than a thousand deaths and ten thou- sand dangers, necessary also to avert suspicion from others who are as innocent as yourself,—and necessary, likewise, in order that the sequel of this lamentable tragedy may take a proper and legitimate course, without requir- ing that sacrifice of honorable feeling and integrity of principle on your part which would be involved in any endea- vor to conceal the deed and plunge the entire scene into mystery and dark- ness.’ ‘Then you-are to sacrifice yourself that I may be saved from suspicion on the one hand, or from the necessity of consenting to the concealment of the crime on the other?’ said De Colmar. ‘It is no self-sacrifice which I pro-, pose, returned Gloria, ‘since I alone am guilty!’ ‘True !’ ejaculated the knight, unable to repress a certain feeling of admira- tion for that extraordinary being who, all murderess though she were, yet vave so many touching evidences of re- gard. tenderness, and consideration to- wards himself. ‘ But are you confident that you can eventually escape from all the perils attendant upon the course which you are chalking out for your own footsteps to pursue !’ ‘As confident as | am in my own uB- -_— nd a aes >f : a= Rs ‘2 se « re en ate =. . s+” , a ree a? 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