Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERY OF SAINT MARK’S ABBEY. 11 as impressed indelibly apon her recollection, and she was at a perfect loss to account for the interest he excited in her bosom. Phe day after this adventure she did not go out, as “he felt rather indis- posed, and at an early hour in the evening, she retired to her chamber, but did not feel inclined to sleep. She seated herself at the casement, which commanded a view of a large ex- panse of country from the back of the cottage ; hills and valleys, meadows and rivulets, were all seen dancing in the moonbeams, and in gazing upon the tranquil scene, our heroine endeavoured to divert her thoughts from the sub- jects that engrossed them. While she was thus wrapt ia contemplation, she suddenly beheld the dark shadow of some approaching object moving across the earth, and upon strain- ing her eyes, she distinguished the tall form of a man apparently wrapped in a mantle, walking across the lawn towards the cottage. Having advanced to within a few yards of the house, the man paused, raised his bead, and appeared to be gazing intently up at the window. Surprised and abashed, Angelina involuntarily withdrew her head, and was about to close the shatters, when the melodious tdnes of a fiyte broke upon the stillness of the air, and listening with breathless astonishment, she recognised the same plaintive air whick bad been played by the handsonfe stranger she had seen upvn the rock. Completely lost and enchanted, Angelina once more approached the casement, and looking out, beheld the figure she had before seen, still standing there, and was convinced from his position that he was the musician. The in- strument was played with the same exquisite skill which had on a former occa- sion so delighted her, and the maiden listened to every note with the most un- bounded wonder and admiration. At length’ he ceased, aod then approaching almost immediately beneath the casement, raised his bead, and the bright beams of the moon revealed to her gaze the bandsome features of the youth she had seen upon the rock. Fearfal that he might observe her, although she could have looked upon his noble and expressive countenance for ever, Angelina hastily closed-the shutters, and throwing herself into a chair, gave way to the thoughts which the circum- stance occasioned, It was evident that the stranger had watched her to her home ; and yet what eould be the motive of his curiosity, and who and what was he? Could his de- signs be bad ?—Oh, no! there was not the smallest mark of guilt in the noble lineaments of that open and manly countenance! Angelina was surprised at her own thoughts, and the sensation that involuntarily flu¢tered around her heart, and at length tired of thinking, she resolved to retire to her couch, but before she did so, she was tempted once more gently to unclose the shutters and to ‘peep from the window, but the stranger was gone. Angelina tossed for some time restless on her pillow, before sleep fell upon ber eyelids, when the following remarkable vision flitted before her imagi- nation :— She thought she was wandering among the rocks in which she had sought shelter on the night of the storm. It was midnight, and ah almost impenetrable darkness was upon the earth and the ocean. No star shone in the firmament to illumine her way; and yet some invisible power scemed to urge her on into the intricacies of the place. The air was pieicingly cold, but all around her CORNICE DO© (SO) < __._ fom