The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

- ~ ~ - - a SF om - a — 24 THE BRONZE STATUE. | a 3ut now he began to fear that his soul; longer any impropriety in wandering to~ was warming at leneth with the mystic fires | wards her abode ;—for the sense of delica- of passion—that his heart had begun to|cy which had made him pause and prepare throb beneath the strange and thrilling ) to turn back ere now, had sprung from the spell: there was a sensation of mingled | belief that « mere canvass tent was most restlessness, pleasure, and suspense upon | likely the dwelling-place of herself and him ;—and, instead of experiencing the! her handmaidens., sliohtest desire to seek his couch. he felt as Without farther hesitation or restraint, if the fresh breeze of heaven would be!he therefore now pursued the narrow path- more welcome to his heated brow, and the | way, which led across a bridge over a rip- soft moonlight in the solitude of the wood | pling stream. As he thus went on, the better calculated to tranquillise his thoughts }music became more distinct and the light Under the influence of these ideas, Sir|grew stronger. At length he sudcenly Ernest de Colmar rose from his seat—pas- | found himself close under the wall of a sed through the outer division of the tent, | building which seemed to be entirely em- where his two pages were already wrapt in | bowered by the dense foliage of the trees, a profound slumber—and sallied forth up-| From a small, deeply-set, circular window on the green sward. The moon was shin- | the light streamed; and it was also from ing gloriously upon Zitzka’s white pavilion | within this structure that the music flowed and the surrounding encampment: every | forth. object seemed swathed in a flood of tke he partial survey which Sir Ernest was purestsilver. All was stiil: for in the open | thus enabled to take of the building, added space where the tents were pitched, nosen-|to the sacred character of the harmony tinel broke the witching silence of the| which swelled solemnly through the air, night with his measured tread. It was|was sufficient to induce the Knight to be- around the outskirts of the wood that the lieve that it was some holy edifice: and, guards were stationed at short intervals; | passing round a portion of the wall he and their posts were too far removed from | reached a door which stood half-way open. the encampment te enable them to exercise Sir Ernest de Colmar was hesitating any supervision over what was passing | whether he should enter, when a rustling Within its precincts. amongst the trees at a short distance met Thus was it that Sir Ernest de Colmar | his ears ; and turning his eyes in the di- proceeded unobserved and unchallenged | rection whence the sounds came, he beheld across the green sward; and, on reaching | several lights approaching through the the wood, he plunged into its dense shade. ! wood. Stepping hastily back, and concea]- But in a few moments he emerged upon ajing himself amidst the dense foliage, he narrow pathway formed amidst the verdant | was soon enabled to perceive that a proces- Jabyrinth ;—and now it suddenly struck | sion of nuns, headed by their abbess and him that it was this very same portion of | two priests, was moving slowly towards the the wood that Satanais and her handmaids | door, the immediate vicinity of which he had entered, when retiring for the night. | had just quitted. The priests, who were A feeling of delicacy instantaneously | attired in full canonicals, carried torches in prompted Sir Ernest de Colmar to retrace | their hands; and these they extinguished his steps, and either withdraw to his tent! on the threshold ere they entered the build. or at all events seek another direction for | ing. his solitary ramble: but scarcely had the} The procession, consisting of the two ropriety of adopting this course suggested | monks and upwards of twenty nuns, defiled itself when a strain of music came floating | slowly into the church—passings the spot through the wood, in low—solemn and-— | where Sir Ernest de Colmar was concealed ; awe-inspiring cadence. He paused—tist- | and the moment the ecclesiastical train, ened—and speedily became convinced by | with measured tread. had thus disappeared the swelling undulations of the harmony from his view, in louder and deeper tones that it emanated from some arched building | swelled forth the Sacred music. or vaulted cavern at no great distance. At} Conceiving that there could net be any the sane moment that he arrived at this | harm in becoming a witness of whatever conclusion, he beheld a light cleaming and ceremony was about to take place,—and growing stronger through the maze of| wondering how Roman Catholic rites trees; and curiosity prompted him to ad- could possibly be exercised within the ver vance in that direction, For his mind, | precincts of that wood where the Reform- being previously filled with the image of| ers were encamped,—Sir Ernest de Colmar Satanais, instantly associated this charming | pushed open the door and entered he build- creature with the music which still came| ing. He found himself in a smal] church stealing upon his ears ;—and he felt that if! the aisles of which were separated from she resided in some building, there was no | the nave by rows of thick and handsome ee < LS . . an wr ~~ a . - - = — - ~ - — a — me ee eee ee ee eee ee = ~— = 7 . — — 4 ” “ > « —= a = — 2s oem ~ SS eee ee — - > ——— —w « - _—— -_- 722 Ss - — —= . 7 = = ie i i ; . i] j COomICDOOKS,: Com