The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 288: what you’re looking at

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

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I must | Invaders ?”’ asked the young baron, drivy- retrieve the fortune of this terrible day en almost to despair. ‘As you your- —i must rescue my name from oblo- | self ere now declared, every instant ig quy, my vassals from the pillage of an| precious; Manfredo is advancing at a. invading force, and my ancestral halls} rapid pace towards the time honored from sack and plunder. But how can/ towers of Ildegardo ig I do all this? ©O insensate wretch that! <« « Listen !’? exclaimed the Baron of Lam! My own troops are defeated,—/ Altendorf, in a deep and solemn tone, and I have not a single ally! Alas !—!| +The report has doubtless reached alas! in this moment of my bitter need, | thine ears that I am the presiding an- I would even accept the friendship and thority of a secret jurisdiction, which the aid of Altendorf’s lord himself,| extends its mysterious influence chief of a tremendous tribunal though | throughout Bohemia. That jurisdie- he be.’’ |tion is known as the Tribunal of the ‘Scarcely were these words uttered! Bronze Statue ; and to its service are in a tone expressing all the violent ener- | votaries dedicated even from the cradle, gy of desperation, when [ldegardo was _in the same manner that they are vow- recalled to himself by the sudden ap-| ed and destined to the service of the pearance of a warrior who burst as it church.” were from the adjacent wood. Hewas| ‘Proceed, my lord!’ cried the clad in a complete suit of sable armor: /young baron, shuddering he scarce] his vizor was closed, and the black | knew why; but, there was doubtless plumage waved over his head. But II- something in the mere allusion to that degardo knew that it was the proud | awful tribunal which made his blood run Baron of Altendorf who thus strangely | cold in his veins; for such is the effect and promptly answered the species of invariably produced upon those in whose invocation which had just fallen from | ears the dreaded name is breathed, be his lips; and the young lord was so as-| it never so whisperingly. ‘+ Proceed !” tonished by this almost preternatural | he said, with mingled impatience and occurrence, or rather wondrous cvinci- | apprehension ; ‘¢ and declare the terms dence, that his tongue refused to give; upon which thou wilt grant me thy utterance to a word, and he stood gaz-| succor.” ing in superstitious terror upon the; ‘Swear to devote thy first-born proud chief whom report declared in| child to the service of the Bronze Sta- shuddering whisper to be the chief of| tue,” answered the Baron of Altenderf ; the most awful tribunal that ever wrapt| ‘ and in afew hours thine enemies shali its proceedings in an impenetrable mys- | be scattered like chaff before the wind! tery. Decide at once—there is not a minute ‘Thou didst say that my succor} to lose.” would be welcome,” said the Baron of} ‘* I swear !” ejaculated the desperate Altendorf; “and I am ready to give | and half-frenzied Ildegardo; and then thee mine.aid. But every moment’s| recoiling from the promise which he delay will only serve to render thy po-| had made, and which was so tremen- sition more precarious, and thine affairs| dous in its very vagueness, he would less easy to be retrieved.” have recanted on the spot—but it was ‘Save me from dishonor, mighty | too late. For the Baron of Altendorf chief !”” exclaimed the Baron of [ldegar-| called in a loud tone for his warriors to do. ‘ Lend me thine assistance to re- | come forth ; and in a moment from the pulse the victorious Manfredo, and I! dark shades of the wood poured his arm- will evermore remain bound to thee by | ed retainers, who had been concealed the most solemn bonds of gratitude and | there to watch the chances of the fight of friendship.”’ : between the other two feudal lords.— ‘ «<< Phat recompense is not sufficient, | The bewildered Ildegardo was lifted by my lord,”’ answered ihe Baron of Alten- _powertul arms to the back of a capari- dort.‘ Hitherto thou hast scorned my} sohned war-steed; while the Baron of friendship and avoided my companion-/| Altendorf mounted another, and the ship; and therefore 1 now neither seek | whole party instantaneously pressing thee as adriend nor accept thee as a/ on, the youug lord found himself as it companion inithe chase or the festive | were carried uway by a torrent of cir- hall.’ ; cumstances which he could no more bss Then upon what terms will your | control, than he could by his own un- lordship assist me to reconquer my po- | aided strength stem the power of the sessions and save my castle from the! armed force in the midst of which he * je a comicbooks.com