The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 227: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. 225 account of all that Sir Ernest de Col- | ber, was attended by her handmnaidens, mur had said concerning herself when | into whose souls she had succeeded in h: was left alone with her for a few! pouring some amount of consolation,— minutes in the parlor of the hostel.— | and, at all events, she had succeeded in And thus was it that slumber stole | convincing them that she was more an gently upon her eyes, xs her mind was | object of sympathy and commiseration revolving with an innocent pleasure | than of blame and punishment. In the every word und sentiment that had fall- | parlor below, Sir Ernest de Colmar and en from the knight’s lips on the occa- | Angela were conversing mournfully sion just referred to; and the same sub- | upon the dread incident which had ject remained uppermost in her imagi- |marked the night, the former speaking nation in the dreams which uccompa- |only in gloomy monosyllables, and the nied her sleep. Yes; benign was her | latter generously suggesting a thousand slumber and soft were her visions, when | things in extenuation of Gloria’s guilt. she was aroused abruptly and rudely | We must also observe that Angela had from that delicious entrancement; and | resumed her steel panoply, and had not as the startled offspriug of her fancy | failed to close the barred vizor over her fled from her brain, the awful intelli- | countenance. gence of a murder beat like the stun-| On the arrival of the magistrate and ning roar of cannon upon her ears! the soldiers, the first care of the former She could not believe that she was! was to order the officer to station senti- awake ; no—nor even when she lis-| nels in those two points where the land- tened more intently still, and heard the|lord had temporarily posted his own excited voice of the landlord proclaim-| men; and the venerable official then ing from outside the door of her cham-| proceeded to visit the chamber where ber the particulars of the awful tragedy | the murder had taken place. There he which had been enacted that night !—/} drew up a description of the exact state But, at length, the forest maiden was}/in which he found the corpse of the compelled to yield to the conviction of} victim; and this duty having been ac- her own senses ; and the words of the | complished, the magistrate ordered the host carried iu unto her soul the as-!| landlord to conduct him to the apart- tounding certainty that a murder had | ment where the self-accused murderess been committed, and that Gloria was | was confined. ; the murderess ! On arriving at the door of Gloria’s hen did a cold tremor pass through | chamber, the venerable official paused the entire form of the forest-maiden: ‘fur a moment; and turning towards and, sitting up in her couch, she cover-| those who were in attendance upon ed her face with her hands, as if to shut| him, he said, ‘I shall enter alone into out the view of some hideous object—| the presence of the unhappy lady who although the light had been extinguish- | has committed a deed alike so heinous ed for some hours and her chamber was| and unaccountable. It would only be involved in an intense daraness. And | adding to the poignant anguish which she experienced a grief as profound | she must already feel, were a number and an anguish as excruciating as if she | of spectators to be present during the were Gloria’s sister or near relative,— | short interview which it is necessary and then, yielding to the impulse of her | that I should have with her; and asthe own exalted piety, she quitted her! outraged laws will in due course inflict couch, fell upou her knees, and prayed | condign chastisement, it would neither long and fervently to heaven on behalf| be delicate nor humane to torture the of the Daughter of Glory. | culprit beforehand by rendering her the Morning dawned, and with the rising | object of an eager curlosity.’ sun came a party of ‘T'aborite soldiérs| ‘The landlord, the landlady, the me- . from the adjacent market town. ‘They | nials of the hostel, and several of the were about a dozen in number, headed | Taborite soldiers, who had followed the by an officer, and accompanied by the! magistrate to the threshold of Gloria’s local magistrate, who was a venerable | apartment, all fell back when the magis- man with a long white beard and known! trate addressed them in this style of as a devoted adherent of the cause} half-rebuke and half-commuand: and the espoused by John Zitzka. ‘venerable official accordingly passed Every body st the hostel was up and/alone into the chamber. — in expectation of the arrival of those | The Daughter of Glory was seated in who now made their appearance. Glo-!a profoundly pensive mood, her hand- couch, her heart full of happiness on | ria, a close prisoner in her own cham- * * —. ae — > - : ; - od > =, : ¢ a -_ ; ~, = > wa st -, oe < on oe - - comicbooks.com