The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 287: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. was that tasmuch as the late baron had at several times exacted large sums of money from Manfredo, this noble- man was now resolved to force repay- ment from the present lord of Ildegar- | do, or else to seize upon a portion of | his estates as security for the liquida- | tion of the amount. the young baron were not disposed to} give Manfredo so cordial a welcome as he had hoped and expected ; and flying >» | But the vassals of | to arms, they were content to accept Korali as their leader in the pressing emergency of the case. Then ot took | place one of those terrific feudal fights which were unhappily so common at the time in this part of Bohemia; and victory declared itself in favor of Man- | ‘flushed with recent conquest; and as + fredo. Korali’s band was slaughtered or dispersed ; and he himself fled with all possible speed to the castle. ‘It was now no longer practicable for ~ Me this unprincipled man to conceal from | Iidegardo the desperate position of his | affairs; and indeed the consternation which prevailed thronghout the strong- hold was in itself sufficient to arouse the young lord from his dream of bliss. Awaking, therefore, from the false se- curity into which he had been lulled, he acted with the promptitude and resolu- ’ ; tion of a man who suddenly perceives | the stern necessity of looking his posi- | tion in the face. lations of his mistresses, who sought to sooth him by their meretricious blan- dishments, he hastily summoned all his vassals to arms, examined the treasury Disdaining the cCOoOnso- | | | | | | and the granary, inspected the.armory, | visited the fortifications, and made rt pid but efficient arrangements hot only to stand a siege but likewise to go forth and hazard another battle with the in- vaders. ‘The evidences of ’ | neglect, waste, | peculation, and injustice which now | presented themselves on every side to) the view of the baron, left him not a) doubt relative to the mal-administration | of Korali, whom he accordingly con- signed to a dungeon to be dealt with on) Krom all} 9» more suitable occasion. sides the male adult vassals flocked in to combat beneath their lord’s banner | and well do I remember how fervid was the enthusiasm which glowed with- in my breast, when | beheld my young master ride forth in complete armor at) the head of his brave warriors. I long- ed to accompany them; but this glori- ous pleasure was denied me, inasmuch as I had succeeded to the post so re-| finest years of youthful manhood: cently occupied by the perfidious Ko- —— a | — —_—— 285 rali, and I was therefore compelled to remain in charge of the fortalice itself. ‘The encounter between the respec- tive forces of Iidegardo and Manfredo took place within a few miles of the castle ; and sanguinary was the strife. Two years of luxurious indolence had not enervated the arm of my noble young master nor deadened the spirit of his chivalrous soul—on the contrary, it almost seemed as if he had derived a superhuman vigor from that interval effeminate repose. Wherever he struck, death followed the sweep of his weapon; the demon of slaughter ap- peared to follow the track of his waving plume. But Manfredo’s vassals were more numerous; they were likewise the sun went down upon that memora- ble day, its beams shone upon our fugi- tive warriors whom the young lord of ildegardo vainly endeavored to rally. ‘ Distracted at the prospect of inevit- able ruin—blaming when it was too late that voluptuous indolence on his part which he considered as the primal cause of all the present misfortunes; and mad- dened by the disgrace which he had brought upon the hitherto untarnished name of Ildegardo, the young baron spurred his foaming steed away from the confused mass of his flying soldiery. Away he sped, urging the frightened animal onward at a desperate pace, and having no settled purpose in view, un- less indeed it were to escape from the soading train of his own thoughts. But all on a sudden the horse fell and the baron was thrown heavily to the ground. The steed instantaneously rose and sprang frantically away, + shooting through the air like an arrow, and ina few moments disappearing altogether ‘in the increasing obscurity of the even- ing. Then, feeling himself in every sense alone, the unhappy Ildegardo gave vent to all his consuming anguish 3 and the adjacent woods echoed to the piteous lamentatious which he poured forth. ‘+ Oh! is not this the judgment of heaven upon me for my wickedness ‘* he cried, clasping his hands together. ‘Two years of dissipation, festivity, and unhallowed love had weaned me from my God; and it is thus that He reminds me of His existence and power. Oh! what opportunities have I lost ‘— what precious time have I wasted |_— what degradation has stumped the two But ‘tis useless thus to repine, thus to aban- comicbooks.com