Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

—% 133 | ANGELINA! OR, which seemed {o proceed from the interior of one of the coffe, Celd drops of perspiration stood upon our heroine’s temples, and gasping fer breath, she clang to the arm of Kate for support, while her looks were expressive of the wost indescribable horror, ‘* Hark { the voice of the dead commands thee to obey,’’ said Kate, solemaly, * € the spirit of her who bore thee, speaks to thee, wilt thou scorn its sacred warning ?? Angelina’ tried to speak, but her tongue refused its office. But an instant, and a peal of heavenly music seemed to float around the place, a loud crash smote her ears, a thin form in robes of the purest white, arose from behind one of the piles of coffins, and, standing before the maiden’s horror-struck gaze, was the ghastly phantom she had on a former occasion, pursued through the vaults of the Abbey. . The heavenly music still floated on the air, and filled the breast of the paralyzed Angelina with sacred awe, while the spectre fixed upon her a look of solemnity, mingled with pity and love, and stood for a few seconds fixed as a marble statue. Kate of the Ruins bent low before it, and seemed to await with anxiety and eagerness the words she appeared to anticipate the spirit would give utterance to. It was an awful interval; the supernatural light still illumined the frightful place, and gave a tenfold horror to the ghastly objects by which it was on every side surrounded, and indeed it was a fitting scene for the abode of the dead. Cold drops of perspiration stood upon the temples of our heroine, and her heart seemed to lose all pulsatien, as with distended eyelids, she gazed upon the unearthly visitant. At length the music ceased, a dead silence reigned around ;—the lips of the spectre moved, and in sweet, but solemn tones, it thus spoke :— ‘* Angelina! Angelina! Angelina! the spirit of thine injured mother speaks to thee, and commands thee to take the oath ;— obey !”’ ‘‘ Blessed shade of her who bore me, if such thou art, at thy feet let me prostrate myself, and crave thy blessing !’? exclaimed Angelina, rushing fran~ tically forward towards the spot on which the phantom stood. In an instant, however, a sound like a clap of thunder shook the vault, the place became involved in utter darkness, and completely overpowered by her terrors, Ange- lina sunk upon the earth and beeame insensille. . When she recovered, she found herself stretched upon the bed on which she had reposed, on the night that her and her uncle remained at the abbey, but there was no person in the room. The dreadful recojlection of all that had past in the abode of the dead rushed upon her brain, and filled her bososa with terror and agony. Raising herself on the bed, and clasping her aching temples, she glanced hastily around the chamber, expecting to behold some appalling object, and in phrenzied accents cjaculated :— ‘Good God! and could it be reality ?—Did my eyes indeed behold the vision of her who bore me P—Sainted spirit of my mother, oh, where art thon ? Why do you not again appear to me and unravel the dark mystery which envelopes my fate ?”’ All remained still as death in the apartment, and afier a pauge, our heroine continued :-— ‘“* Those words, those horrible words, did she not command me to take the oath, the dreadful oath which the mysterious woman of the ruins sought to ECOMmicoOokKs @ (CO)