Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

22 ANGELINA; OP, she hastily closed the secret panel, that glided back without the slightest noise, and then stood uncertain how to proceed. While she was in this situation, the man muttcred some anintelligible words, and being induced to listen, she heard the following uttered in tones of the most poignant anguish :— ‘Oh for some oblivious draught to drewn the awful recollections of the past !” The tones of the voice immediately struck Angelina, and she was certain it was the Baron de Morton. Curiosity, which often supersedes the most immi- nent danger, now involuntarily prompted her to push back the panel, and to watch the baron’s proceedings. He was still seated with his back towards her, and appeared to be completely absorbed in his own painful refiections. Fre- quently would his bosom discharge the most heart-rending sighs, and then he would strike his forehead with bis clonched fist, seemingly in bitter agony. ‘‘The ways of guilt,” he at length said, ‘‘are indeed those of pain and sorrow! Oh, that I could recal the past—that FE could blot out from the dark tablet of memory those deeds that have made me accursed and wretched! Lust, ambition, jealousy, pride, oh, what damned passions are ye; into what crime and misery will ye not lead your unhappy victims! Bat fool! why do I now tepine? If I have boldly dared, have I not boldly won? Have I not weajth and rank ?—Courted by the great and feared by the humble? Dissatisfied wretch, what more wouldst thou have? Why shouldst thou murmur at the past that has brought thee so much? And who is there that dare to accuse thee of — ? Psha! I will banish this womanish weakness from my mind! Conscience, that hideous scarecrow shalt no more torment me !”’ As the baron thus spoke, he suddenly arose, and before Angelina had time to retreat from the opening, he turned, and the rays of his lamp darted upon her. A dreadful tremor seemed in a moment to palsy all his limbs, the lamp drop-~ ped from his hands, his eyes rolled wildly in their sockets, cold drops of pers- piration stood upon his temples, and in a hoarse voice, he cried :=— ‘s Away, dread shade of her my word consigned to death! Mine eyes cannot gaze upon thy ghastly features !—Hence, hence I say, to the grave with thee t Ah !—horror! horror !”’ Overcome with the excess of his terrors, the wretched man uttered a frightful shriek and sunk senseless on the floor: ; while Angelina, with wonderful presence of mind, considering the singularity and awfulness of the event, stepped hastily into the apartment, and glided towards an open door on the other side. It opened upon a flight of stairs, down which she fled with the utmost precipita- tion, and had the satisfaction to find herself once more in the hall of the abbey. Breathless with agitation, and almost siaking with exhaustion, she still con- tinued to run towards the path that conducted to her home, and never ventured to look back until she arrived at the cottage door. CHAPTER VI. De Morton Castries was a fine old gothic structure, which had stood the test of many generations, and now seemed with its lofty battlements, blackened COMME OO 2.8 vl