The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. 87 her to believe that marriage, under any | ed with religious emblems and symbols, circumstances a tedious venture, was/ inthe midst of which on either side was especially hazardous when the heart| the mame of ANGELA. accompanied not the hand; and, al-| Having contemplated the bag for some o though Angela was too pure-minded to| minutes with an earnest and reverential have ever allowed her imagination to | attention, Angela drew forth its contents give way to impassioned musings on/in the shape of a small slip of parch- the subject, yet she had not reached | ment, on which the following lines were the age of twenty-three without some-| traced in a bold masculine hand-writ- times pondering, but in a serious and | ing :— healthy strain, on her future lot. And « July, 1434.—Angel, beware of Lord in such meditation had marriage neces- | Rodolph! Brightly now shines thy star sarily been included; and then the/in the heaven, and sweetly smiles thy maiden had been led to form her own | guardian angel: but if the soft language — ideal image and personification of all| of Altendorf’s heir become pleasant to | the attributes which should be possessed | thine ears, and if thine eyes give back by the man to whom she could give her | loving glances to his own, then that star heart. He must be brave—for that was |'will set in blood, and those smiles will the age of chivalry,—a few years older | turn into bitter anguish. Oh, maiden! than herself, with a countenance as ex- | put faith in the unseen and unknown pressive of frankness as characterized | friend who thus proffers a salutary coun- by manly beauty—and with an intellect | sel and gives a timely warning : for bet- not only powe rful enough to impart) ter, better farwere it that thou should’st charms to his conversation, but likewise | perish even in thy sunny youthtulness, to scatter the pearls of knowledge|than hearken to the love tales of Ro- around upon the brows of his listeners. = of Altendorf. ‘The curse of God -- -—— Such was the perfect being whom | would be upon thee, Angela, wert thou Angela’s imagination had pourtrayed as | to accompany him to the altar! 5 the model of a good husband; end she} * Maiden! to none must thou show this paper. Destroy it if thou wilt, but felt that on such a man she could be- stow all the rich treasures of her virgin | cherish its contents as thou would’st hold fast to thy eternal salvation. ‘The Jove, and surrender up her heart in the full confidence of entrusting it to worthy | murderer doomed to die would be an keeping. Cherishing therefore an ideal} enviable being compared to thee, wert standard of mans perfection, it was not|thou to neglect this solemn warning, likely that the virtuous and pure-mind- | written by one who watches over thee ed Angela would experience any sym-|in secret.’ pathy for the young Lord Rodolph; for,| Siowiy and attentively did Angela read inasmuch as his handsome countenance | these lines, notwithstanding that they failed to make any impression upon her | were already imprinted upon her brain heart, his character and disposition had }|as indelibly as if seared thereon with ee no qualifications to recommend him. red hot iron. Though all the reasons we have ad-| And. oh! how was the mysterious vanced constitute a sufficient explana-| warning to be frustrated and contraven- tion for the unwillingness of the maiden | ed _ by ‘the ruffianism of that young to accept Lord Rodolph as a husband, F noble who had resolved to drag her to there was yet a circumstance which|the altar! It was terrible to contem- tended to enhance that disinclination in-| plate: but in the depths of ber own to a sentiment bordering upon horror. | neart, Angela was determined to die W hat this circumstance was we shall | rather than be forced into an alliance now explain. which, if the contents of that slip of For in the midst of the mournful re- | parchment were true, was fraught with verie into which Angela had fallen, when | omens and auguries of so treme sidous fi she returned to her. seat after her fruit- | nature in respect to her own destiny! less search behind the tapestry, her| She had replaced the parchment in hand, mechanically obeying the train of | the bag. and had restored the bag itself thoughts which were slowly passing | to the bosom of her dress, when-she through her mind, sought the bosom of | heard a noise emanating trom the en- her dress: and thence she drew forth a | trance to the suite of apartments which diminutive velvet bag, not longer thana} Tord Rodolph had so designedly allot- crown plec e, and suspe s»nded to her neck | ted to her. Risin: v trom ber seat, she by a thin chain made of black hair.—| listened attentively; for the thought This tiny pag” wus Cc uriously embroider- | that the young nobleman might intend a a comicbooks.com