The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. 45 ity, and uneasiness, And then her name|the richest materials: the velvet doublet —Sir Knight—that terrible name!’ added} was elaborately embroidered—the collar Templin, with a cold shudder: ‘alas me-| and cuffs were ornamented with precious thinks it is but too evident that this woman | stones. The handle of the poniard and the of whom we are speaking bears a name|hilt of his sword likewise glistened with fearfully appropriate—and that she is) gems—and the crimson plumes of his cap indeed the Daughter of Satan ? ‘were fastened with a brooch of the finest ‘Did you ever hear that she had any) diamond. relatives bearing her company inthe Ta-| This personage was the Baron of Alten- roa encampment? Lage Sir Ernest de| dorf, one of the most powerful feudal olmar: ‘any sister, for instance , lords in Bohemia. ‘No—such a report never reached me,’| On the other side of the table sate Fa- returned the landlord; then, in a tone of | ther Cyprian, the Carthusian monk. His 5 “sees aan fe lhe gry é‘ ee one | cowl, being thrown back, revealed his entire end in female shape is sufiicient to throw | countenance, which was pale, care-worn ‘ . e s , : 3 , all Christendom into aconvulsion? No—jJ/and bore traces of great bodily fatigue; no, Sir Knight—Satanais h ister-| and hi XC ‘wae tho aa ag ght—Satanais has no sister-| and upon his foreliead there was the mark demoaess with her: she is alone in the | of a violent blow or contusion, evidently exercise of her dark influence—alone in| received within the last few days, the sphere of her hellish incantations!| A flagon of wine and two drinking cups Were it even pretended by herself or) stood upon the board ; and the mument the asserted by the ‘Taborites that she had a} domestic who brought in this refresh ent, sister or any other relat'ye with her, 1) had retired from the apartment, the Car- should doubtless have heard the report) thusian filled his goblet and drained it with from some one of the many traveilers who} the air of a man sore athirst and suffering honor the Golden Falcon with their patron-| from weariness, ? | ‘ ' . Ns “aa esi aa * Sule ene travelled fast, holy father ? m anks worthy host, | said the Baron. said the Knight, ‘for the cheerful and| ‘Four days ago I was at the grotto, sp a — in ag you ere; eee is some half-dozen leagues farther enabled me to while away an hour. I will|from Prague than your Lordsoip’s own not detain you longer on the present occa- | Castle, answered the priest. ‘There | was sion: for your establiihment is spacious} waiting anxiously for a communication enough and appears sufficiently well| from the Duke of Austria, in reply to my tenanted at this moment to demand all your) proposal.’ attention. I will however trouble youto| ‘ And the reply has been sent,’ exclaimed place this letter in the hands of the Baron}the Baron, in a tone of inquiry: * other- of Altendorf, added de Co:mar, producing | wise, I suppose, I should not haveseen you the packet with which Lord Rodo!ph had| make your appearance in Prague this eve- entrusted him. ning ?” . . | , x . . ; Teinplin received the parcel—bowed—;| ‘Grant me breathing time, my lord, and and quitted the room in order to execute | you shall know all,’ returned the priest.— the commission entrusted to Rim. *Remember that I am sinking with fatigue, and more fit‘ed for a downy bed than to sit in deliberation with you for an hour or so.’ ‘You will not have me believe, holy CIIAPTER Xi. ‘father, that you have performed this lon | journey on foot—and in four days too? THE PEER AND THE PRIEST. exclaimed the Baron, °* it is impossible ? | +] have occasionally obtained the loan Waite the preceding conversation was| of a horse, answered the Carthusian: ‘ but occurring between Sir Eniest de Colmar| all the latter portion of the route have | and the worthy landlord of the Golden| achieved on foot. Hence the total prostra- Falcon, a dialogue of a scarcely less inter-| tion of my energies at present. esting nature was taken place in an apart-| ‘And meseems, holy father, that you ment overhead. ‘have encountered some accident,’ said the On on side of a table sate a tall, portly | Baron, his eyes now catching the contusion man—of dark complexion, forbidding coun-| on the monk’s forehead. ‘tenance, and haughty demeanor. Hi age| ‘By all the Saints! [ must be avenged was verging close upon fifty; but his black} for this /” he ejaculated in a tone and with hair was scarcely streaked with grey—and | an expression of countenance wh'ch proved his thick overhanging brows, large mous-| how bitter was the feeling of rancor which tache, and grisly beard enhanced the | lurked in his bosom against some one.— austerity of his mien. His dress was of|* However, he said, hastily recovering his comicbooks.com