The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

_ i | 86 3 THE BRONZE STATUE. a wife. Yes, declaim as thou wilt, and through the air,—a sigh which appeared despite the risk of incurring my father’s | to come from the farther extremity of anger, I will wed thee, Angela; [swear | the room,—the sigh of some spit that | will wed thee! Oh! thou art) which her own had invoked in its agony: so grandly beautiful, that even in thine | An excruciating pang of fear armed anger I adore thee: even when thine the captive maiden with a desperate eyes dart forth lightnings, I could fall| courage ; and, springing trom her seat, down and worship thee, my Angela?!’ | she darted towards the place whence , ‘My lord, as these are words which} that. expression of rending woe had I ought not to listen to,’ said the maid-| seemed to emanate. Raising the ta- en, with a calm but firm dignity, ‘it is | pestry, she threw a terrified glance be- . mot generous nor brave on your part, | hind it, half expecting to encounter but rather the action of a coward, to| some spectral shape or ghastly object: take advantage of my captivity inorder | but nothing save the dilapidated, damp, to insult my ears with offensive jan-| and broken wainscoting met her eye; guage.’ } | }and, endeavoring to persuade herself ‘Think you, proud beauty,’ cried | that the sound which had so strangely Lord Rodolph, his excitement again ris- | startled her was either a delusion or ing, ‘think you that | had thee borne| else one of those many unaccountable hither for the purpose of measuring my | noises which are peculiar to rooms long words or deeds to a nicety suitable to disused and to old buildings, the captive thy prejudices or notions! Far from | maiden returned to her seat. it, Angela: and now listen to my re- solve! ‘T'o-morrow evening, at nine o’- clock, the altar will be prepared in the Castle chapel. Innumerable wax-lights will diffuse their lustre through the sa- cred fane—the atmosphere will be ira- grant with incense. Andon the steps of the altar will stand the priest who PaInFuL, most painful, was the re shall unite usin holy matrimonial bonds. verie into which Angela now fell. For this prepare yourself, my Angela:| ‘The unprincipled, heartless son of and oh! let me not be forced to have} the Lord of Altendorf had spoken her thee dragged an unwilling bride to that! doom. His intention was avowed— altar—but suffer me to lead thee thither | and in forty-eight hours she must ac- with smiles upon thy lips, flowers on| company him to the altar! thy brow, and diamonds in thy hair— 3ut whence arose the indomitable so that thou may’st be the pride of the} antipathy which she entertained to the handmaidens who shall have attired] bare idea of this alliance,—an alliance thee in thy virgin vesture, and the joy which any other maiden ot humble con- of him who would dare all the anger of| dition and peasant rank would have men, all the wrath of God, and all the| welcomed as the proudest, choicest gift torments of hell rather than lose thee !’| that Fortune could bestow? For Lord It was with a wild and terrible em-| Rodolph was not only the heir to vast es- phasis that Lord Rodolph uttered these | tates, but was likewise both handsome words—his eyes shooting forth light-|and young; and a haughty triumph, nings, so unnatural was their brilliancy; | therefore, might it have been estimated and, seizing the hand of Angela, he| for the portionless and obscure Angela pressed it to his lips with all the vio-| to win the heart of the Baron of Alten- dence of a strong and ungovernable pas- | dort’s son ! sion ere she could even make an eflort to But in this light the maiden did not withdraw it. Then, suddenly dropping| regard her conquest. She panted not that fair hand which he had held tor a} for title and honors—and the tinsel ap- few moments ina vice-like grasp, he| panage of hereditary rank dazzled not rushed precipitately from the room. |her eyes. Naturally of a strong mind, : Angela—pale, trembling, and over-| and: haying received much intellectual - whelmed with mingled grief and terror| culture and many admirable lessons ~ —tottered towards a chair, upon which/from a venerable priest who had not she sank helplessly, while a deep moan| long been dead, she based her ideas of escaped from her laden, bursting bosom. | happiness upon more substantial grounds But, holy God ! that moan was echoed) than those which have such brilliant by a sigh so profound—so full of an in-| attractions for shallow capacities. Her effable anguish, that it floated audibly | deceased preceptor’s teachings had led — _—-— yoo - re re ee Se ae Se: 7 7 - = Me © ye A er oe —- - - ~ ~~ +o - ” “> é-a» = si : * — ow ri. ‘ “> * CHAPTER XXIII. THE BRONZE STATUE. ee —— —_——__—_—_-- -——__—e -* —— comicbooks.com